By Your Side
by Stranger 1993
Summary: After all that's happened, Kurt's friendship is way more than Dave could ask for and the last thing he expected to get. But when he returns to McKinley after his suicide attempt, could the former target of his wrath be the thing that saves his life? Begins at the very end of On My Way, then AU.
1. Clean Slate

**Okay. Hey guys! I guess I should start off by saying that I do not own Glee (unfortunately). This story is Rated T, but could become M in later chapters, who knows! It starts off with Klaine, but is DEFINITELY not a Klaine story, trust me. It's sprinkled with a little Seblaine, but is first and foremost a Kurtofsky fic!**

**Anyway, "On My Way" practically destroyed me. I had a different idea for a fanfic post"Heart", but after Tuesday, something new just started tugging at me and I figured I'd go with it. This story picks up from "On My Way," but then it's pretty much an AU after that.** I hope you guys enjoy it and stick with it!****

** Also, feel free to review, I'd greatly appreciate it! xD**

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><p>Kurt paced back and forth along the hospital hallway, flowers in hand. He was completely aware of what he wanted to do, but just couldn't find the strength to even take those few steps into David Karofsky's room. Having come down from his "winning Regionals" high, his mind couldn't help but contemplate everything that had led up to that point the past couple of days. No matter how hard he tried, Kurt couldn't stop picturing the course of events since Valentine 's Day. Just the thought of Dave believing that no one cared for him and that ending his life would be a viable option just tore him up. Honestly, if Dave had succeeded in his suicide attempt, after the last encounter that they had together, Kurt would've never forgiven himself. He decided that it was either now or never, and now seemed like the much better option. Like Mr. Schue said, life is too short.<p>

Kurt reached for the knob and took a slow, deep breath. Exhaling, he twisted the knob and the door slid open. He stood in the entryway as David slowly looked up in his direction and a slight smile appeared on his face. Even though he knew what to expect, the sight of Dave in a hospital bed still tugged at Kurt's heartstrings.

"Hey," David breathed, barely audible. Kurt was frozen stiff for at least a good five seconds before he sighed "hey" in response. Kurt set the flowers down on the table beside the door and slowly proceeded to sit in the chair by Dave's bed. They sat in silence for a while and even though Kurt couldn't bring himself to look at the other boy, he knew that Karofsky was staring at him. He just knew it.

"The doctors are taking me off a seventy-two hour watch… they're letting me go home tomorrow," David said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"That's great, David… that's really great," Kurt replied, making an attempt at a smile. There was more silence. This time Kurt was the one who spoke first.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you're alive…"

"Yeah… me too," Dave nodded in agreement, the tiny smile still on his face. Though there was a sense of relief in his voice, Kurt could already feel his eyes burning from the tears he was trying so hard to hold back.

"I feel like this is my fault… I should've called you back. If I had just called you back one time," Kurt's voice cracked slightly and Karofsky simply shook his head.

"How could I expect you to do something like that after everything I've put you through? After everything I've done…"

"David, it's alright."

"The hell it is Kurt, it's the furthest thing from alright. It's just like you told me on Valentine's Day… I tortured you. I made your life miserable for _months_. But when the tables were turned and karma got back to me… I was ready to kill myself in less than a week," David's voiced broke into a quiet sob as he continued.

"My alleged best friend telling me that he never even wants to see me again… my mom telling me… that I'm diseased and need to be cured… I guess I had it coming," he chuckled sadly.

"No… no, David. No one deserves to ever go through something like that. No one deserves to be treated as if they are less than human… you are a _person_, David. A real person. And you deserve to be surrounded by people who love you and accept you for who you are," Kurt could no longer hide the tears. He let them freely fall and David did the same.

"I don't know what to do, Kurt… I tried bullying you to make myself feel better and that didn't work. I tried to accept who I am by going to gay bars and meeting people like me. And then I actually… I actually have the nerve to…"

"You don't have to say it… it's alright, David. Really," Kurt had already known where he was going. He was going to bring up the whole _I think I love you_ thing. David let out a huge breath and tilted his head back on the headboard.

"I can't go back to that school, Kurt," he said solemnly.

"Then don't," Kurt said simply. David looked over at him, the tears still streaming down his face.

"Listen, Dave. I wish I could tell you it'll be easy from now on… but it won't. There are going to be days that seriously just… _suck_. You will have to take a lot of crap from a lot of people, people you don't even know and people who don't even know you. There are going to be times where you wish that you could just get away from the entire world… but you don't have to go at it alone.

"There are going to be people who will be there for you and who will love you and accept you through all of the crap life tries to throw your way. And if people can't accept you, then… to hell with them! Am I right?" Dave chuckled and nodded.

"You don't need fake people in your life. The only opinions that matter are those of the people that you care about and the people that care about you. And you can count on the fact that I'll be one of them. I am going to be with you every step of the way… and we are going to get through this together. You understand?" Kurt grabbed David's hand and clenched it tight. Dave smiled and sniffled as he nodded his head slowly. They sat relished the quiet for a moment when David said, "Hey Kurt…"

"Hmmm?" the singer responded, looking up at the taller boy. Dave bit his lip.

"Do you really care about me? You know, as a friend… like you said on Valentine's Day. Or were you just trying to let me down easy?" Kurt sighed and released his grip on David's hand. He really did mean what he had said; he liked Karofsky as a friend… if they could even be called that. He wasn't really sure what their relationship was right now. All he knew was that David needed him. And he was going to be there for him no matter what.

"Yes, Dave. I really do like you." David grinned. There must've been some truth behind it because for the first time since he sat down, Kurt actually had a genuine smile on his face.

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><p>Blaine was an idiot. He <em>knew<em> that he was an idiot. What was he doing here, honestly? Before the Regionals competition earlier that day, he never would've thought that he'd be sitting here alone at the Lima Bean waiting on freaking _Sebastian Smythe_ of all people. After the New Directions won, the Warbler claimed that he wanted to "talk" to Blaine afterwards, about what, he had absolutely no idea. Truth be told, Blaine wasn't completely in love with the idea of meeting up with the guy, but apparently it was important that they meet.

Blaine looked down at his watch. 5:28. Sebastian was running about thirty minutes late to his own setup. _Naturally_, Blaine thought. As he stood up to leave, who better to pop into the building than the tardy Sebastian himself? Blaine sighed and sat back down slowly as Sebastian made his way over to the table. It almost caught Blaine by surprise to not see him in his Dalton blazer. Sebastian huffed and looked Blaine right in the eyes, contact which Blaine was not completely comfortable with.

"Hey, Blaine," he said firmly. The shorter boy merely grunted, announcing his acknowledgement of Sebastian's presence. The latter sat down and intertwined his fingers on the table.

"I'm assuming you're wondering why I wanted to meet you here," Sebastian asked. Blaine scoffed.

"Just a little. What, do you have a slushie with glass in it this time? Would you like to mess up my other eye? Or maybe you had something else in mind," Blaine said sarcastically, the last sentence more to himself rather than towards Sebastian. To his surprise, the Warbler only responded with a small sigh and not his usually quick and clever rebuttals.

"Look, Blaine. The reason I invited you over here is because over the past few days, I've been doing some thinking. I feel really bad for the way I've treated you and Kurt. The whole Karofsky thing… along with some other stuff has made me realize that I've kind of been a huge dick," Sebastian said softly. Blaine chuckled.

"Kind of?" he said cynically. Sebastian shut his eyes and exhaled.

"I'm sorry, Blaine. Really, I am. I apologize for everything. I'm sorry for Kurt, the slushie, and well… you know." Blaine shifted in his chair uncomfortably as he glanced around and then leaned in closer to the Warbler. Sebastian did the same.

"You haven't told anyone, have you? About…" Blaine's eyes widened as to make sure that the taller boy knew what he was referring to. Sebastian immediately shook his head.

"No, Blaine. The old Seb would've done that, but not me. I'm serious about turning over a new leaf. I want you to know that and I also want Kurt to know that. Like I said the other day, for too long I've treated everything as a big joke. I don't want to do that anymore. I really like you, Blaine, and I want this friendship to work. I want to start over. Not from when we first met at Dalton, but before… you know. No more games, no more tricks. Clean slate."

Blaine sat in his chair silent for a moment. From the day that they met, Sebastian had been trying to pry him away from Kurt and wasn't trying to hide it at all. Blaine had a feeling that something was up since that night at Scandals, but he never let himself admit that. The reason for that was possibly because he actually liked Sebastian and enjoyed his company. Sure, he loved Kurt, but it was nice to have Sebastian around sometimes. Things seemed to be going fine until Michael week… then there was the incident. Blaine was having a hard time looking past it, but in light of recent events, starting over might not have been such a horrible idea.

"Fine," he finally muttered. Sebastian grinned slightly. Blaine loosened up, but made sure to keep the appearance to Sebastian that his guard was still up.

"So… _buddy_. Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Blaine asked. Sebastian chuckled, but Blaine could tell that it wasn't out of amusement.

"Not exactly… there's something else that you and I need to talk about."

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><p><strong>Haha so anyway, this just came to my mind and I had to put it into writing. I will update this story within the next week. Actually, I will try to update at least once a week, if not more. Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please leave reviews, they are greatly appreciated! :) <strong>


	2. Glad You Came

**Okay, first of all, I am so glad to see all the subscriptions and I really appreciate you guys deciding to keep up with my story! It means so much to me and I will definitely try not to disappoint! **

**I plan on using this unbearably LONG hiatus to work on this as much as I can. I think I speak for all of us when I say that 7 weeks is way too long after a cliffhanger like that! Like I said before, I love hearing your feedback, so please leave reviews! They tend to get me more motivated to write… ;)**

**Well enough drabble. Let's check on Quinn, shall we?**

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><p>"Rachel, seriously? That's the eighth time you've checked your phone in the last two minutes," Kurt said to his soon-to-be sister-in-law. She quickly paced back and forth in between the array of furniture that seated Mercedes, Tina, Santana, Brittany, Sugar, Kurt and Blaine on her left and the opposite group that consisted of Finn, Sam, Puck, Rory, Mike, Artie, Burt, Carole, Hiram, and LeRoy on her right. What had started out as mere worry and concern on Rachel's face evolved into a look of pure panic.<p>

Kurt really wasn't too troubled about the whole ordeal. He figured that Quinn was probably just stuck in traffic or trying to make a huge appearance by bursting in the door and objecting the moment the "I do's" started. Frankly, Kurt thought that wouldn't have been such a horrible thing since he still wasn't too in love with the idea of the whole situation anyway. Truth be told, he had barely even heard anything that was going on within the last hour. He'd been texting David ever since he left the hospital earlier that evening. It had quite possibly been the first casual conversation they had had in a while. Not ten seconds after he had started scolding Rachel for constantly checking her phone, his phone buzzed for about the thirteenth time within the last five minutes. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the message.

**David**: _Haha I can only imagine how that's treating you. I'm sure she makes a beautiful bride. Does Hudson look as awkward in a tux as I am imagining he does? :P_

Kurt chuckled quietly to himself as he replied to the text, zoning in and out to the chatter that surrounded him.

**Kurt**: _Lol yes, she is quite lovely. And to be honest, Finn actually cleans up pretty well. Just as long as he doesn't dance at the reception, the rest of the night should go smoothly ;)_

"Rachel, we're running out of time. They aren't going to hold our slot for much longer. We've got to do this now," Finn pleaded. Everyone could see that Rachel heard his words, but simply chose not to respond. Kurt's phone buzzed again.

**David**: _Well, tell him I said good luck with that. That should definitely be interesting._

**Kurt**: _Oh, I'm counting on it, trust me. :P We're trying to wait for Quinn before we start, but odds are the wedding will begin really soon, with or without her. Can I text you after it's over?_

**David**: _Well, only since you asked so nicely :3 I guess I'll allow it. I'll talk to you later, Fancy. And thanks for everything, I mean it._

Kurt smiled and stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

"Look, I really hate to say this, but maybe Santana's right. I really wanted Quinn to be here too, but maybe we should just accept the fact that she's not coming and just get on with it," said Mercedes. Rachel shook her head and faced the group of bridesmaids.

"You guys don't understand; she said that she was _on her way_. Just give her a little more time, she'll be here. She has to."

"That was thirty minutes ago. Maybe she changed her mind and decided not to come at the last minute," Sugar said blatantly.

"That's what Lord Tubbington did with his AA meeting. Even after he promised me he wouldn't. He just makes me feel so disappointed sometimes," Brittany commented casually, more to herself than to anybody else in the room. No one really paid her any mind.

"Well, I for one, agree with Rachel," Hiram said, placing his hand lightly on his daughter's shoulder. "If Quinn said that she was on her way over here, then we should wait for her. This is a… sacred moment and an _incredibly_ big decision that will set up the rest of Finn and Rachel's _entire_ lives… forever. It wouldn't be the same without everyone here, now would it?" There were unintelligible murmurs of approval from LeRoy, Burt, and Carole. Rachel sighed.

"Rachel, please," Finn breathed. The two lovers shared what seemed to be some kind of quiet, telepathic gaze that made everyone else in the room feel slightly uncomfortable for half a minute before Rachel glanced down at her phone one last time and uttered a tiny, "fine." The two of them locked arms and slowly exited the room. The parents followed shortly after, exchanging guilty looks, accompanied by the bridesmaids and the other guys. Kurt got up to go after them, but he felt Blaine's hand grip his arm. He turned to face the sitting boy. There was a moment of silence and Kurt could tell that Blaine had something on his mind, but he just wouldn't speak. His big, hazel eyes made that much very clear. Kurt knew the look that the ex-Warbler got in his eyes when he wanted to say something but didn't really know how. Blaine let go of his arm.

"You look so adorable today," he whispered. Kurt smiled.

"Just today? Well, how do I look every other day?" he teased. Blaine simply beamed up at him.

"Come on, Kurt, you know you're beautiful."

"Yeah, I know," Kurt sighed. They shared a short chuckle. Then there was another small moment of silence.

"Hey, Kurt… um, I was wondering…after the wedding, do you want to, um… go somewhere? Breadstix, maybe? Sugar Shack, whatever the hell it's called now."

"Um… sure, Blaine. Of course. Is something wrong? You seem a little nervous," Kurt half smiled. Blaine grinned that big, goofy, adorable grin of his as he stood to face Kurt.

"No, nothing's wrong… we just haven't really had a chance to talk with all that's been going on lately. That's all I want to do… talk. There are some things I need to say to you."

"Am I in trouble? Wait… you aren't going to propose too, are you? Because I love you, really I do, but… now? It would just seem like everybody wants to jump on the marriage bandwagon," Kurt said quickly. Blaine chortled as he reached for his boyfriend's hand and caressed it.

"No and no. Well… not yet anyway. But I do want to talk about us. I just… I want to be with you, Kurt, without everybody else around. We haven't really had a moment to ourselves in about a week," the shorter boy whispered. Kurt had to stop himself from opening his mouth. He had almost insinuated that it was Blaine's own fault for them not really communicating or hanging out, but he figured that since it was a special day and Blaine was actually setting something up for them for the first time in a while, that he'd just keep his thoughts to himself. Instead, he simply fiddled with the hand holding his and lightly kissed his boyfriend on the forehead.

"Come on," he said, leading Blaine out of the room. "Everybody's waiting."

Kurt and Blaine strolled down the hallway, hand in hand, to meet up with the rest of the group. Everyone, minus Finn, Rachel, and the adults, was standing behind the chapel doors, with looks of what appeared to be a combination of confusion and terror on their faces. Before Kurt and Blaine could even make it all the way over to the group, they parted like the Red Sea on opposite sides of the entrance and a frantic Rachel Berry burst through, accompanied by the Glee Club director and Coach Sylvester. Rachel took the lead in her epic race against Mr. Schue and the Cheerios coach in Kurt and Blaine's direction. Finn trailed right behind and the parents came to follow, all wearing expressions of sheer terror. Kurt was too far away to hear, but he could see Rachel's dads talking to the other Glee Clubbers, obviously about whatever everyone's issue was on based on their reactions. As soon as Hiram and LeRoy had finished explaining whatever it was that had just occurred, the rest of the group joined in the powerwalk after Rachel. As she came ever near, Kurt made the immediate move to grab her arm.

"Rachel, what's going on? Is the wedding off?" Kurt asked, fretfully.

"It's Quinn, Kurt. She's in the hospital; Mr. Schue just got a call. There was an accident. We need to go. Now," she stated firmly with a hint of anxiety. Kurt's eyes widened in shock and his mouth hung agape. Before he could get another word out, Rachel had passed him by. Finn came to a stop beside Kurt and glanced over at his stepbrother, an earnest, defeated look on his face. He huffed out a small groan. Kurt sincerely placed his hand on Finn's back and ran his palm over it sympathetically.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said softly. Finn shook his head.

"No… Quinn is our friend. The wedding can wait. She needs us now," he whispered. Kurt could tell that his stepbrother meant what he just said, but the fact that he had to say it was tearing him up inside. Like Rachel did before him, Finn strolled off before Kurt could even get another word out. Kurt looked over at Blaine and saw that he was looking across at him also. They took each other's hands and made their way for the exit of the Lima Municipal Center along with the rest of the group.

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><p>It was about 8:30. Aside from their little wedding crowd, the waiting room was practically empty. The adults all sat together against one of the walls of the room. Rory sat in one of the chairs, a worried Sugar in his lap. To their left, Brittany stroked Santana's hair as the Latina lay still in the blonde's arms. Rachel continued to pace around the waiting room, the tail of her wedding dress flowing behind her, while Finn stood and leaned up against the wall in the corner, his face toward the ceiling, his eyes closed. Artie and Puck sat in the opposite corner, their heads bowed, and their hands in their laps. Mike and Tina sat near Santana and Brittany, his arms around her as she cried into his chest. Joe had arrived shortly after they did. He was the only one wearing everyday clothes while everyone else was still in their wedding attire. In the center of the room, he, Sam, and Mercedes, were circled up and holding hands, undoubtedly praying for Quinn. Kurt, lying in the comfort of Blaine's arms, was actually almost tempted to go over and join in their prayer circle… almost.<p>

Kurt heard the sound of footsteps approaching and pulled his face out of Blaine's chest to see David Karofsky striding down the hallway in their direction. He had changed out of his hospital gown into a navy-blue polo and a pair of dark jeans. Kurt would have smiled at his presence had it not been Sebastian trailing right behind him. Sebastian was wearing that same shirt that he had worn that night at Scandals. It was quite an unpleasant reminder of how much he had loathed the boy. Kurt groaned.

"Blaine, why would you invite him?" he muttered into his boyfriend's chest. Blaine scoffed.

"Sebastian doesn't want to be your enemy anymore, Kurt. He's turning over a new leaf and he's here for Quinn. Besides, you invited Karofsky."

"He was already in the building, Blaine. It's not like I called him here from his house like _someone_…"

"Babe, we're not going to do this now, okay?" Blaine whispered as the two other boys finally made their way into the waiting room. Both Kurt and Blaine stood. Kurt hugged David and hesitantly shook Sebastian's hand while Blaine's handshake with the Warbler was much firmer and he merely nodded in David's direction, acknowledging the larger boy's existence. David did the same.

"Is she okay?" David inquired Kurt. The latter simply shrugged.

"We don't know. They haven't let us go in yet," he whispered.

"What happened?" Sebastian asked.

"Hit and run… Quinn must have been texting Rachel at the time that she got hit. Apparently whoever hit her wasn't paying attention either and drove through the stop sign. There was more damage to Quinn's vehicle than the other one. They're saying that the other guy must've flown into a ditch, and abandoned his truck, but the license plate and everything was still there. Apparently the guy was in such a hurry to get away, he was carless to cover up his tracks. That was really stupid of him. They'll find him soon," Blaine explained, sheer disgust in his voice.

"Fucking bastard… well if he was able to get up and walk away, there's a chance that Quinn could do the same right? That she'll be okay?" David asked.

"That's one of the things that's got everyone here so worried. If it were just a minor accident to where both of them could just get up and walk away, maybe he wouldn't have tried to make such a hasty escape. We're all scared because since the guy who hit her did make such a rush to flee the scene, maybe… it was worse than that," Kurt said. David nodded slowly, keeping his head bowed for a moment, as if in deep thought.

"Quinn is really lucky to have friends like you guys," David said quietly, finally looking back up at Kurt. Kurt opened his mouth to speak, but it took a small moment for the words to actually come out.

"Um… Blaine? Could… you and Sebastian give Dave and I a moment alone?" he finally said. The other three boys wore calm, yet surprised expressions on their faces which pretty much corresponded with how Kurt felt on the inside that he had even asked that question. After everything that had gone on this year, it came as a shock to even Kurt that he was asking his boyfriend and the man-whore who had been trying to seduce Blaine since the day they met to go somewhere together.

"Um… sure, Kurt," Blaine said slowly. He glanced up at Sebastian, whom blinked and nodded. Hands in pockets, the two of them slowly made their way toward the scattered group. Kurt sighed as he made eye contact with David. The larger boy chuckled quietly.

"What's so funny?" Kurt asked, curiously. Dave smirked and locked his hazel eyes on Kurt's green ones.

"I know what you're doing," Dave whispered.

"Really? And what would that be?" Truth be told, Kurt had an idea, but he really wasn't even exactly sure what he had asked to be alone with David for anyway.

"You want to ask me how I'm doing… how I'm feeling, or whatever. For the record, I'll be alright."

Well… that was easy. But the way that Dave had said it, almost like he was expecting it, hit something in Kurt. It was true, he did want to know how David was feeling, but they had just talked about it a couple of hours ago. Maybe David was actually tired of being talked to like he was a ticking time bomb that needed to be consoled all the time, waiting for the next sad emotion to run off and try to commit suicide again. Just maybe he wanted to not have to think about it for a little bit.

"No," Kurt lied slowly, "I just… wanted to know if you'd given any consideration to what you're going to do now. It's still your senior year, you know." David looked down at his feet as he half smiled.

"Well, I have been thinking about what you said… about me surrounding myself with people that love me and accept me for who I am. The only thing that I can think of that's even remotely close to that is… well, you… I-I mean not just… _you_, of course, but… you know everybody here. After everything blew up after Valentine's Day, you guys were the only group of people that actually still cared about me enough to pray for me and even dedicate a fucking _Regionals_ performance to me, along with Sebastian… I've decided that… I think I want to come back to McKinley next week. I also think that I… I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I think I actually want to join the Glee Club. I mean, I'm not a singer like you or Berry, but I…"

Before David could even finish his sentence, Kurt had managed to wrap his arms around the larger boy in a tight hug. Seconds passed before Kurt finally felt the large arms slowly hug him back.

"That's really great, David. That's fantastic. We'd be happy to have you," said Kurt in a soft voice. Dave chuckled as they broke apart from their embrace.

The door behind them creaked and everyone's attention was averted to the male nurse that came out of Quinn Fabray's room. Everyone immediately stood from their seats and made their way to him, well… with the exception of Artie, who glanced up in the nurse's direction and wheeled his way to Rachel's side.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Rachel asked instantly. The nurse nodded. A sigh of relief left everyone's lips as the tension decreased in the room dramatically.

"The damage isn't fatal. She'll definitely live. There were some injuries to her spinal cord so unfortunately, she'll have to be in a wheelchair for the next couple of months until she can walk again. Other than that, she will heal up just fine very quickly. You can go in if you'd like," said the nurse. With that, everyone in the room made their way through the door. Kurt heaved a sigh and looked back towards David.

"Would you like to come in? A little extra support would never hurt," Kurt asked sincerely. Dave grinned, but shook his head.

"I'd love to, really. But honestly, I'm not even supposed to be out of my room right now. Just knowing she's alright is all I need to hear." Kurt gasped.

"David, you could've gotten into big trouble. You should've told me that you couldn't leave your room. Why would you risk that?"

"Why wouldn't I? She's going to be my future friend, isn't she? I had to make sure she was okay. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Dave smirked.

Kurt hugged him goodbye and whispered "I'll see you next week," into his ear. The two broke apart.

"Text me afterwards?" Dave asked. Kurt gave a quick nod in confirmation. Dave turned to walk away. He was halfway down the hall when Kurt called out his name once more. David turned on the spot. There was a short silence.

"I'm really glad you came," Kurt finally said. David shrugged and smiled.

"Hey… what are friends for?" he responded. Kurt grinned as he watched David Karofsky turn and walk away. Kurt waited until he had turned around the corner and was out of sight before he quickly made his way to join his friends in Quinn's room.

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><p><strong>Awwwwwwwww! Well I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. The next one should be up sometime soon! I'm hoping for within the next couple of days. I'm excited for it and for the rest of the story! I really hope I'm keeping you as eager as I am! xD Let me know by leaving reviews and tell me what you think, because I really do like to hear it! See ya next time!<strong>


	3. A Friend In Need Volume 1

**Thank you guys for the alerts and reviews thus far! That makes me so excited. This story is actually getting a lot more attention than I initially expected, which makes me extremely happy! **

**I'm having fun with it and it's good to have the pressure put on me to keep it up. Tell your friends and PLEASE leave reviews! It lets me know that you care. :P Back to the show!**

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><p>The gang was all there. For several minutes, they had been arranged in a semicircle around Quinn's bed, Rachel on one end and Mercedes on the other. The two girls sat in the armchairs on either side of the bed and gripped one hand on their respective side. As Kurt made his way into the arc of people, his spirits slowly deflated as he saw the pure devastation on Quinn's face. Not so much from physical bruises and cuts, but the look of complete and utter anguish.<p>

"The doctor said that you should heal up fine… you'll be good as new before you know it," Finn murmured. Quinn turned over at him and struggled to find the words to say.

"I…" she began, "I don't… I can't even…"

Quinn couldn't get the words out if her life depended on it. She didn't need to, though. Everyone knew what was going through her mind. How could they not? She had finally gotten her life back together. She had made it into Yale. She had accepted the fact that Beth now belonged with Shelby Corcoran. She had made it back on the Cheerios and was going to lead them to a national championship. She had gone from high school Queen Bee, to teen mom, to outcast, to Skank, and had made it through all the crap to be able to tell the tale. She had even made peace with the fact that Rachel was going to marry Finn, despite her personal opinion about it. She had turned her life completely around only to have it all taken away by someone she didn't even know at a time that couldn't have been more random or inappropriate. Quinn was pissed, and rightfully so. But there was something else there. There was something that lied beneath all the rage and anger… pain. It was far worse pain than childbirth, or even losing said child. It was the pain of coming so far and coming so close… only to have it snatched away. No one in the room said a word. The tears streamed down Quinn's face and it was made clear that there was no attempt to hide them.

"We can stay as long as you want us to. Or we can leave; whichever you prefer," Mercedes said. There was quiet until Quinn barely shook her head.

"No… stay. This sucks, but honestly… if I'm going to get through this and get out of this bed, then… I'm going to need my family. Just… stay with me… please," she whispered.

"We're not gonna leave you, Quinn," said Mr. Schue. There were various nods and grunts of support.

"You're our friend and we love you… no matter what. And we're gonna be here for you," Mike added. Everyone made an effort to smile at her encouragingly and Quinn attempted to return the gesture.

"How was the wedding," Quinn said softly. Finn shrugged slowly, a saddened expression on his face.

"Rain check," he said.

"As soon as we found out what happened to you, we all just sort of came over here together. It never even started," Kurt stated. He glanced over at his stepbrother, whose face was to the ground. Kurt sighed gently to where no one could hear him. Though he never truly supported the idea, he knew that Finn really did love Rachel. He had the fullest intent on marrying her today and if it hadn't been for this incident, Rachel would be his sister-in-law right now. Kurt assumed that that was the thing that hurt him more than anything. Despite everything that Finn and Quinn went through, they were… kind of friends. Finn would've been here for Quinn regardless, but the fact that it just had to be on his wedding day…

"I see," Quinn responded simply. Kurt couldn't quite figure out the tone in her voice at the statement. Her response wasn't cold… but it wasn't really remorseful either. Not that she'd have to apologize for being hit by a truck. It wasn't as if she sounded happy about the wedding being cancelled, there just didn't seem to be much compassion in her response to it.

"I think it would be better if we waited until after Nationals, like we had originally planned. Maybe this was some kind of sign, Finn. Maybe… it wasn't such a good idea to rush this," Rachel said, glancing upward at Finn who simply nodded slowly in reply. There was a quiet sigh of relief in the corner from Hiram, LeRoy, Burt, and Carole that no one but Kurt seemed to pick up on. He glimpsed over in the would-be in-laws direction and saw Sebastian leaning up against the doorway with Blaine nearby. No matter how discreet that the two thought they were being, Kurt managed to see that the Warbler was whispering something to Blaine. The latter responded with a short, muted reply and Sebastian walked out of the room. Kurt could feel something unpleasant brewing in his stomach at the mere sight, but he tried not to pay it any mind and directed his attention back towards Quinn.

"We're really glad you're okay, Quinn," said Tina with a smile. Quinn smiled back, and for some reason… it was much more genuine than before.

"Yeah… I am too."

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><p>About an hour or so had passed when everyone decided to leave the hospital. The adults were the first to leave while the Glee Clubbers and Sam lingered longer and disappeared incredibly slowly. Finn, Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine were all that remained now. For some odd reason, Quinn was in much better spirits than she was when everyone had first entered the room after the accident. She was actually… smiling.<p>

Kurt glanced upward at the clock on the wall. It was about a quarter to 10:00. This had possibly been the longest and most eventful day that he had had in a while. It was time for him to go home. After saying their goodbyes to Quinn, Finn, and Rachel, he and Blaine made their way out to the hospital parking lot together. They had reached Kurt's Navigator.

"It's hard to believe that we just won Regionals earlier this afternoon, isn't it?" Blaine asked. Kurt took a moment to actually process the fact that they had just competed at competition a few hours ago and nodded.

"It's been… a very exciting day, to say the least," he chuckled. Blaine snickered quietly and bit his lip. Then there was a brief moment of silence.

"I'm really sorry about tonight. I know you said that you wanted to do something after the wedding, but…" Kurt started, only to be cut off by Blaine.

"Oh, no! No! It's not like it's your fault. I mean, Quinn… is our friend. We had to be here for her right?" the shorter boy grinned.

"Right, of course… but… earlier, you said that you had something that you wanted to tell me. Something you wanted to talk to me about."

Blaine's grin faded as he sighed, a look of slight frustration on his face.

"Now's not the right time, Kurt. With all that's happened today… rain check? Like… this Friday night perhaps? Your place?"

"Sure… sure," Kurt responded with a tiny smile. Blaine's grin was restored, but not to the magnitude that it once was. This wasn't Blaine's usual dopey/adorable grin. Kurt could tell that there was something off about it…

"I'll see you on Monday," he said, giving Kurt a quick peck on the cheek before turning away quickly towards his vehicle. Kurt got inside his car, fastened his seatbelt, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Apparently, he had received a text message while in the hospital room and didn't realize it. He opened up the phone and read the text.

**David**: _Do you think I'm making the right decision? To go back to Mckinley?_

Kurt took a look out of the window and saw that Blaine's car was already turning out of the parking lot. He sat for a minute before he responded.

**Kurt**: _I think that only you can decide whether or not you're making the right choice. I can honestly tell you though, it won't be easy. What do you really believe?_

**David**: _I know it won't I'd be a fool to expect it to. I could just go to a completely different school and start all over again. But I really don't wanna run anymore and I'm tired of pretending. Maybe it would be good for me just go back where I started… where it all started._

**Kurt**: _If you really believe that you're doing the right thing, then you should do it. And you don't have to face it alone. Like I said earlier today, I've got your back. I will be by your side the whole time._

**David**: _Haha by my side, huh? Weird… I'm actually starting to think that maybe we really could be friends… Good night, Fancy._

Kurt smiled at the text and chuckled to himself as he stuffed the phone back in his pocket and proceeded to drive home.

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><p><strong>Okay, so I am really looking forward to the next chapter and the chapters to come. Should be interesting...<strong>

**I hope you guys are liking it so far! I know that there wasn't much Dave in this chapter and I'm SO sorry, but come on! I couldn't just leave Quinn out, that would be a huge hole in the story. Glad to see you guys keeping up and I hope you liked this one. Please leave a REVIEW! **


	4. A Semiwarm Welcome

**So here it is, Chapter 4! The big return… I'm thrilled to see the number of people following this story. Every alert I get makes me a very happy person!**

**Now, I would really love to hear what you all think, so if you could PLEASE just hit the little link at the bottom of the page and leave a review and tell me what you think, I would jump for joy! xD**

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><p>The following Wednesday morning, David had a huge knot in his stomach that he couldn't get rid of if his life depended on it. Though he was no stranger to the school, the rush and anxiety that fell upon him just staring at the building from his truck was something that he hadn't experienced in a while. David had just gone through the fire and come out on the other end at his old school, and now he was about to willingly relive the same hell again. He had been sitting in the McKinley parking lot for a good twenty minutes, still so reluctant about getting out of his truck and going inside.<p>

He let his imagination run wild about how different things would have become by now. The last time he was here, he was the top dog, the kingpin, the guy that everyone wanted to be. He was the right guard on the football team and it would be an understatement to say that he was one of the most popular kids in school. He had formed the Bully Whips along with Santana and they'd actually done a pretty decent job of reducing violence in the halls. He had the perfect life, even if it _was_ only on the outside. Thinking about how he had knowingly left McKinley with a life of external glory and inside pain and would now be coming back for a life of internal pride and exterior shame was difficult to take in. Everyone would know his secret by now. He was actually _out_. _He_, after all this time, was _out of the closet_. He really had absolutely no clue what would be waiting for him once he walked through those doors.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang on the window from the passenger's side. David jumped slightly and swiftly turned his head toward the opposite window to see a beaming Kurt Hummel waving excitedly at him through the glass. David sighed into a grin of relief, unbuckled his seatbelt, and finally stepped out of the truck to walk across to Kurt.

"Don't fucking do that, Hummel," he laughed, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy in a short, gentle hug.

"Sorry… couldn't resist, Karofsky. It was way too easy. Plus, I don't think you would've come out otherwise."

David's grin faded as he turned his face back towards the school. Kurt had to have known what he was thinking and feeling because he slowly felt the smaller hand reach for his and grip it tight.

"It's alright to be a little scared, you know," Kurt whispered. Dave swallowed hard.

"How about a lot?" he murmured in response. Dave could feel Kurt's thumb now caressing his knuckles. He turned his face towards the singer whom smiled up at him sympathetically. He didn't know how, but for some reason that one smile seemed to turn his fear and anxiety into… well… hope. The way that Kurt's smile lifted his spirits and the way that Kurt's touch made him feel safe and secure… Dave had no idea why, but he believed that if somehow the two of them just stood like this, then everything would be alright. Not really knowing what to say or do at this point, David just smiled back at the boy weakly.

"Come on… let's do this together," Kurt said, pulling David slowly by the hand towards McKinley.

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><p>As Kurt and Dave stepped through the high school doors, side by side, all eyes were on them almost immediately. Some students stood still in shock while others murmured amongst each other quite conspicuously. Kurt was used to it. He was used to be stared at, gossiped about, and teased. But he could only imagine how David was feeling right now. He glanced up at Karofsky and he could see that the fear was back. He was doing a somewhat decent job of concealing it from everyone else, but Kurt knew better. He could see that David was absolutely petrified. He wanted to reach for David's hand and just hold it the entire way down the hall, but he really wasn't sure how Dave would react to that. All Kurt knew was that he had to do something… he didn't think that he had ever seen Dave this spooked. After several uncomfortable minutes, the bell rang and the hallway slowly cleared out.<p>

"Yo, Karofsky!" a deep, unsettling familiar voice shouted out from behind them. _Seriously? Now? _Kurt thought. He shut his eyes tight as he turned around to face the owner of the voice. He opened them to see Azimio Adams standing in the center of the hallway, forming a triangle with two other football players. The jocks stood with their arms folded over their chests. Kurt looked up at David… though his facial expression was stable and unwavering, Kurt could still see the distress in his eyes.

"I thought I made it clear that I didn't wanna see you anymore," Azimio said blatantly.

"Don't you have anything better to do? Seriously. Come on, David, putting up with this ignorant _ass_ is beneath you and it's not worth our time. Let's go," Kurt snarled, taking David's hand as he attempted to continue walking. But David didn't move. He just stood there while Azimio and his gang laughed at them.

"You better listen to your little fuck-buddy, Karofsky. In fact, both of y'all had better get on out of here. You remember… You remember what we used to do, don't you? To people like you. I'm sure Hummel does, don't you faggot?"

"Leave him alone. And you can't tell me what to do, Adams. I'm not scared of you," Dave said firmly. Kurt couldn't help but be impressed… Dave was pretty good at putting on a brave face. Then again, a lifetime of being in the closet could do that to a person. Azimio slowly made his way in their direction, a somewhat amused look on his face.

"Is that so, _queer_? You got some nerve walkin' up in here… like you're all big and bad… you may have been top dog last year, but you have _no_ idea what kind of shit you just stepped into. _I_ run things now. And you best believe that by the time we're done with you… you'll wish your daddy hadn't found you."

"Actually, you don't run anything. Your _president_ does." Kurt and Dave turned back around to see Santana and Brittany standing side by side on the other side of the hall. Santana stood, hands on her hips, sassy as she could be. Brittany simply waved at them and whispered a small "hi," with a smile. David let out a tiny huff of disbelief that only Kurt seemed to notice. The Cheerios strode toward the five boys and Santana immediately phased right through Azimio's personal bubble and proceeded to get into his face.

"Listen, Fat Albert, lemme tell you this is gonna go down. You and your little posse are gonna walk away in the opposite direction and we're gonna pretend that this whole little confrontation didn't happen. We can do that, or well, I could always cut you and watch you bleed chocolate milk all over the floor right here and now. What's it gonna be?" she snapped. Azimio simply scoffed as he retreated backwards, eyes locked firmly on Santana.

"Come on, boys… the Homo Quartet ain't worth our time at the moment. Y'all are lucky we got Spanish right now," Azimio took his gaze off of Santana, focused it on David, and uttered his final statement, "this ain't over, Karofsky," before turning around completely and disappearing down the hall, his crew trailing behind him.

Kurt and David turned towards the two Cheerios who acknowledged them with smiles.

"Brittany… Santana… it's so fucking good to see you again," David chuckled as he managed to wrap his arms around the Latina in a friendly embrace. Santana returned it with a small laugh.

"Yeah, I'm sure it is, big boy. I guess I kind of missed you too," she replied. Dave made his way over to hug Brittany. Kurt merely waved at the cheerleaders with a smile and received a reciprocal greeting.

"I have to go to English, so I'll see you guys later," Brittany said. She was about to depart when Santana grabbed her hand.

"Britt, you have math first period," she said. Brittany looked at her absentmindedly.

"That's why everybody looks at me weird in there. I just figured that they were jealous because I'm awesome and they can never measure up to me. I mean, that's still true. But now it makes a lot more sense." With that, Brittany pecked Santana on the cheek and strolled away down the hall.

"It's good to have you back, Dave," Santana said admiringly. The sincerity in her voice was so unfamiliar that made Kurt a bit uncomfortable.

"It's good to be back… well… a little," Dave chuckled as he glanced down at Kurt. Kurt smiled at him sympathetically, placing his hand on Dave's back and giving it a soft pat.

"Rumor has it that now that you're back, you're planning on trying out for Glee later today. Is that true?" the Cheerio inquired.

"Well, you can't believe every rumor that you hear, but this one happens to be true. Yes, I know, talk about ironc. I'm just as surprised as you are," he added, seeing the stunned look on Santana's face.

"Can you even sing, David?" Santana folded her arms across her chest and peered at him skeptically. Dave snickered wryly.

"I guess you'll find out after school, San."

"Hmmm, if you say so. Well, since it's getting to be that time, I should probably get to class. What do you have first period, David?" The larger boy groaned into his reply.

"Physics, with Freeman. And half the football team, also."

"It's alright, that's where I'm headed too. We can go together. And unless people want Auntie Snixx to come out and go all Lima Heights Adjacent on their asses, they'll keep their mouths shut. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Thanks, Santana," Dave laughed. She smiled sinisterly as she turned to walk away. Before following after her to their physics class, David turned to Kurt one last time.

"Hey, thanks, Kurt… for being here," David flashed a warm grin at him.

"Of course, Dave. Anytime," Kurt returned the smile. Dave turned to trail after Santana and Kurt went in the opposite direction to go to his French class.

"Hey, Kurt!" he heard David yell before he was able to make it out of the hallway. Kurt turned on his heel to see David laughing quietly and beaming at him.

"President _Brittany_?" he said. Oh, there were so many stories about that that Dave didn't even know. He could see how just the mere thought of it was absolutely hilarious, but the actual reality of it, from Kurt's perspective, was actually quite upsetting. But they really didn't have time to get into this right now, so Kurt just huffed out a sigh and shook his head. David flashed one last smirk at him before making his way around the corner and out of sight.

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><p><strong>Haha initially, I wasn't going to stop this chapter right here. But then I realized that I'm only four chapters in! There's so much I want to get in, but the last thing I want to do is rush it lol. I really hope you guys liked it, and I look forward to posting the next one! <strong>

**As usual, please leave reviews and let me know what you think so far! Until next time! Bye! xD**


	5. You Don't Know, But Maybe I Don't Either

**Woo! Chapter 5, finally! Now stuff can really start getting good… ;)**

**Sorry about the delay. RL kept getting in the way. I wanted this one to be up before today, but you know how teachers are the week before Spring Break… Bleck. But hey, at least I get a whole week off to work on this now! xD**

**I'm really glad to finally be posting this one! Just wanna say thanks to all you guys again and now I won't waste anymore of your time with my excuses!**

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><p>The first day back was about halfway over for David and so far, things were going as well as could be expected. Of course he'd had to put up with the talks and the looks throughout most of the day from various students, but he knew that that was what he signed up for by returning to McKinley. He found a small comfort in the fact that even though he was basically an underdog now, his classes contained at least one Glee Clubber to every three football players present. Though he hadn't had Santana in any other class besides physics (and glee, after his audition later this afternoon), he discovered that the support of Hudson, Puckerman, Chang, and Evans didn't really hurt his chances of survival in the classes that were predominantly athletes. Maybe… maybe he actually <em>could<em> do this.

It was lunchtime now and David felt like he was in a completely new place. This wasn't the McKinley that he left behind last year. Even though he had discovered that none of his old buddies were really true friends, he couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic about how things had been before. This time last year, he was sitting at the popular table with Azimio and football players and the Cheerios. And now he was sitting down at a table with the very people he tormented and beat down every day for _months_. He never would've imagined that he'd actually be socializing with these people, not after the history that he shared with each and every one of them. That is, with the exception of the Irish dude, the ditzy rich girl, and the hipster with the dreadlocks… he had absolutely no idea who these kids were.

The first few minutes at their table were a bit uncomfortable, but Dave expected that much. With the resentment from the constant bullying and then the sympathy from the failed suicide attempt, David could imagine that the New Directions really had no clue how to feel about him joining their little group. Thankfully, the awkwardness passed soon enough and things were going the way that David presumed that they had gone before his arrival.

Rachel Berry, whom had an absentminded Finn's arm wrapped around her shoulder, gossiped and gestured wildly while Tina and Mercedes cackled like wild hens at something, obviously hilarious, that she had just said. Chang, his arm around Tina, looked a bit less distracted than Hudson, but it was easy to see that the feeling of slight disinterest in the conversation was there. Evans, Teen Jesus, and Puckerman strummed their guitars quietly in a circle while a wheelchair-bound Quinn conversed with Artie close by. Irish and the Motta girl were cuddled up on the opposite end of the table, Eskimo kissing like two sick puppies in love.

Though Santana and Brittany kept him company so he didn't seem like an even bigger outcast than the one he had become, the person that David had been looking forward to seeing the most had not come to take his place among the group yet. Kurt and Anderson were just now getting out of the lunch line and were making their way toward the table together.

David suddenly felt something small and round whack him in the back of the head. Without even realizing it, David made the subconscious move to turn head toward the jock table a few feet away to see his old friends staring and snickering in his direction. Some of them tried to be discreet about it, while others had no shame in letting their true feelings show. Azimio smirked and winked at him as he casually took bite out of his burger while one of the football players began rolling a ball out of straw wrappers.

"Don't let them get to you. Seriously, they aren't worth it," Dave heard Kurt's voice behind him. The shorter boy sat down on David's right and Blaine sat down on the other side of Kurt. Dave sighed as he inconspicuously glanced over in the jocks direction.

"I know, I know. It's just that… I can't help thinking…"

"You miss them," Kurt interrupted softly, a tiny, concerned grin on his face. David turned his head towards the smaller boy, an incredulous look on his face.

"What? No! Of course not," David laughed insecurely, "I mean… I know they're not my friends…"

"That doesn't mean that you don't miss being over there. That you don't miss the glamour of being popular, or the perks that come with it. You'd be lying if you said that you didn't want it back."

"Don't try to psychoanalyze me, Hummel. You don't know what I want," Dave grinned. Kurt chuckled and smiled politely at him before turning his attention to Blaine and the cackling girls.

David was right about one thing; Kurt didn't know what he wanted. But then again… David himself wasn't entirely sure about that either. Kurt wasn't completely wrong in his statement, but of course David wasn't going to admit that. He did miss his old friends. He missed his old life. Even though he knew now that he was hanging around the wrong people and had no intention of going back to them, that didn't change the fact that he shared some pretty great memories with those guys. But then he remembered that even in those good times, he wasn't being real with them or with himself. It wasn't David that shared those memories with them, it was his reputation. Now that he was on the road to becoming a real person, all he could think about was much of his life was a lie and how many people he had hurt to keep fueling it. And that was what kept him awake at night for a while, even after he had left McKinley.

Did he want that part of his life back? Probably not. But somehow, that facade of happiness kept him going. Even if it didn't completely mask the horrible things he was feeling on the inside, it made him feel accepted. And the sad thing was that for a long time, it was almost enough. He figured that even if he completely hated himself, the approval and satisfaction from others would somehow make up for it. What kind of life is that?

And even through all the things running through his mind, he still had to try and make an effort to make it seem like he wasn't staring at Kurt right now. He had turned his head down towards his plate to make it seem a bit more inconspicuous, but was still gazing at Kurt out of the corner of his eye. Apparently he had gotten really engaged in the girls' conversation because, like Berry, he began gesturing enthusiastically and wore an expression of pure excitement on his face.

It was almost weird how cute Kurt looked when he was excited. David wasn't even paying attention to the story because he was too fixated on Hummel's face. That bright smile… those wide green eyes… that incredibly adorable laugh…

"Feel free to pick your jaw up off the floor any time now, Dave. You're almost starting to look like Trouty Mouth," Santana whispered into his ear. Dave immediately took his gaze off of Kurt and turned his face towards the Cheerio who was smirking slyly at him.

"Shut up, Santana," he scoffed. The Latina simply beamed at him all the more and winked as she patted the top of his head and strolled off with Brittany at the sound of the lunch bell.

_Slick, David… real slick_, he thought to himself as he got up from his seat along with the rest of them to go to the next class. Hopefully no one else had noticed. Either way it was a close one… really close.

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><p><strong>Ok you guys, I know what you're waiting for… the audition. I PROMISE we are getting there! I was going to put it in this chapter but I really didn't expect a lunch room scene to be this long. Hope you guys liked it though! In fact I am going to start on the next chapter tonight and David WILL audition. It should be up later tonight or early tomorrow. Please leave reviews and I'll update soon! xD<strong>


	6. A Broken Road Worth Taking

**Ok so FINALLY… Dave's audition! Sorry 'bout the delay this time… I know you've been waiting, but Fanfiction was being really dumb -_-. Thank you all for being patient and sticking with this story, it means a lot. Thank you for all the Favorites, alerts, and reviews and I hope that I continue to keep you guys entertained! **

**Song used: "Bless the Broken Road"-Rascal Flatts **

**(If you haven't heard the song, I suggest you listen to it. That goes for this chapter, and the ones to come that do involve song. They won't all have singing, obviously, but for the ones that do, it makes the read a lot more heart touching… Just my two cents :P) **

**Now, without any further ado…**

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><p>It was three o'clock when Kurt, Blaine, Rachel, Finn, and Mercedes strolled into the choir room together after school. It was very seldom that they showed up to practice on time, but since Mr. Schue had given them a break that week and it was the first official rehearsal after Regionals, they decided to make an exception. Apparently, not everyone felt the same way because they only people in said choir room were Rory, Sugar, Quinn, Sam, and Joe (whom had joined earlier that week after a bit of persuasion from the God Squad). People usually entered pretty randomly over broad intervals of time between 3:00 and 3:30, so the scheduled three o'clock rehearsals typically began at around 3:45.<p>

The five of them sat down in their usual seats and began to gossip about God knows what (well… with the exception of Finn who, wearing the expression of a constipated baby, had no idea what they were all blabbering about).

After Mr. Schue walked in, shortly followed by Mike and Tina, people began to pour into the room at a very slow rate with various excuses.

"I couldn't reach my locker to get my books."

"I knew you guys wouldn't start without me."

"She told me that you guys wouldn't start without us."

"Dude, I'm always late. Why would you expect me to change a perfectly good system now?"

Everyone made their way to their own seat and Mr. Schuester strolled over to the whiteboard to face them.

"Alright, you guys. As you know, Nationals is in a couple months and we are going to have to work hard to when it all this year. We've come so far, but we are literally going to have to work our butts off if we expect to beat Vocal Adrenaline this year. But first thing's first. I want to start off the first official post-Regionals meeting by welcoming our newest member, Joe Hart," Mr. Schue applauded and the rest of the class joined in with cheers. Joe merely smirked and waved at them all.

"I also want to welcome back our very own Quinn Fabray whom we are extremely lucky to have rejoin us after the past few days!" The room echoed with cheers, whistles, and applause. Quinn smiled and Joe, who sat directly above her, patted her on the shoulders.

"Now before we really get down to business, there is one last thing to take care of," Mr. Schue said after the applause had died down. Schue glanced over at the door and gestured for someone to enter. All eyes were immediately fixated on the doorway as David Karofsky slowly made his way into the choir room. As he walked, he kept his gaze focused on the floor mostly and only took slight peeks at the New Directions, most of which who were staring at him in awe, speechless.

"David here talked to me the other day about joining Glee and I've decided to give him a chance to audition. Now, I know it's a little late in the game for new additions with us being so close to Nationals and all, but he's made it clear that this is where he wants to be. After all, I'm sure you guys remember how well his dance moves came in handy during the halftime show last year," he turned to David and said, before taking a seat among the Glee Clubbers, "The floor's all yours." David stuffed his hands into his pockets and exhaled deeply with a tiny, self-conscious grin.

"Hey, guys… look, I know that I've still got some beef with a lot of you, and believe me; I plan on spending the rest of the semester making it up to each and every one of you. For those of you that I have made peace with, I am so grateful that you let me back into your lives. I can't apologize enough for how I've treated you guys. Just the fact that you guys agreed to let me stand up here in this room and have an opportunity to be a part of something… to share something amazing with each of you is a gift. I realize that I've handled a lot of crap in my life the wrong way. I've had to lose a few things and a few people just to get here… to have this chance; to be where I am in life right now.

"But in a way, I guess… it all had to happen so I could end up here… in this room… about to sing this song. I could go on forever but… I think this song says it all."

David turned his face to Brad, whom merely nodded and began playing a soft melody. The former football player exhaled once more and glanced around at each of the faces before him. Kurt found that when David's eyes met his, a small smile appeared on his face as he opened his mouth to sing.

**Dave:**

_I set out on a narrow way many years ago_

_Hoping I would find true love along the broken road_

_But I got lost a time or two,_

_Wiped my brow and kept pushing through_

_I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you_

Kurt couldn't believe it… David was actually… good. His voice didn't have the country twang to it that the Rascal Flatts version did, but he pulled it off very well. David's voice was soft and clear, yet at the same time full and powerful. David had this rocker/R&B sound to his voice and frankly… it was one of the most amazing things that Kurt had heard in a while.

**Dave:**

_That every long lost dream_

_Led me to where you are_

_Others who broke my heart_

_They were like Northern stars_

_Pointing me on my way_

_Into your loving arms_

_This much I know is true…_

_That God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you_

Dave grinned at Santana during the short musical interval and she made a small laugh back at him as she nodded and stood up to go over and join him in the middle of the room. He continued singing the verse before Santana began harmonizing with him.

_I think about the years I spent, just passing through_

_I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you_

**Dave and Santana:**

_But you just smile and take my hand_

_You've been there, you understand_

_It's all part of a grander plan that is comin' true_

Kurt looked around the room to see that most of the New Directions had sympathetic, approving expressions on their faces. He made eye contact with Rachel and Mercedes, whom smiled up at him as the piano picked up and Kurt, along with the rest of the Glee Club, joined David in the chorus.

**Dave and New Directions:**

_Every long lost dream_

_Led me to where you are_

_Others who broke my heart_

_They were like Northern stars_

_Pointing me on my way_

_Into your loving arms_

_This much I know is true…_

_That God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you_

During the big interlude, David had really gotten into his performance by bellowing out the vocal run of the "Yeah," verse, granting him a few standing ovations from Kurt, Mercedes, Finn, Sam, Puck, Brittany, and Sugar. The others stayed seated and applauded him with smiles on their faces. The piano slowed down and David wrapped his arm around Santana.

**Dave:**

_Now I'm rolling home_

_Into my lover's arms_

_This much I know is true…_

_That God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you_

_That God blessed… the broken road… that led me straight… to you…_

The piano died down completely and the room was filled with thunderous applause. David hugged Santana tightly and she made her way back to her seat.

Kurt couldn't stop smiling. He was on his feet and couldn't have been more proud of David right now… of how far he'd come. He looked around the room at all the people that wore bright smiles on their faces. Sugar even had tears in her eyes. Kurt looked over at his boyfriend and saw that Blaine was still sitting and hardly clapping, a slight, barely even visible scowl on his face. Kurt's smile darkened into a small frown at the sight.

"Well, you guys," Mr. Schue said, walking over to David and placing a firm hand on the boy's shoulder. "Let's hear it for our newest member, David Karofsky!" There was even more thunderous applause as various Glee Clubbers made their way over to embrace him in a group hug.

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><p><strong>:') Wow… such a cheesy ending. Gahhhhhhh. But I figure I better get a lot of fluff and good times in before everything starts to go downhill… oops! I've said too much. You all thought that this story was gonna be about hippie campfire songs and happy moments didn't you… ;) Sorry! Not really… I regret nothing. :P<strong>

**Anyhow, let me know what you think! Leave reviews, share your opinion, and I hope that you are enjoying it!**

**Also, if you do decide to leave a review, PLEASE let me know what you thought of the song format. I feel confident about the choice of song for this chapter, but I've never written anything in song before. Let me know if you like it this way so I'll know how to format the songs later in this story! Thank you very much, and y'all are awesome! See ya soon! :]**


	7. If It Means A Lot To You

**Okay, so the way I planned it out, this was pretty much supposed to go into the last chapter. But I figured I'd leave you guys on a good note and that one seemed sufficient enough. I figured after the song, not many people would pay attention… kind of like dessert before dinner :P**

**Anyway, enough of the explaining and let's get down to the real reason that you're here!**

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><p>Everyone took their spot among the risers and returned to their seats after David's group hug. As soon as the new member took his seat among the Glee Club, Kurt turned to his boyfriend, whom sat with his arms crossed over his chest, slight discontentment on his features. Kurt placed his hand on the junior's knee and Blaine immediately turned his attention towards him.<p>

"Blaine, are you alright?" Kurt whispered. "You seem a bit distracted."

"It's nothing. I've just got… a lot on my mind, that's all. Really, I'm fine."

"We can talk after rehearsal if you want. I've got some time."

"Not enough," Blaine sighed, taking the taller boy's hand in his own. "Really, babe… it can wait. I promise." Kurt's response was cut off before it was even able to escape his lips by the sound of Mr. Schuester's voice after all the hustle and bustle had died down.

"Okay, so as you guys know, Nationals is in about two months. And while I realize that this is extremely important to us all… I've also realized that this is the last time that a lot of you will be sharing this journey with everyone.

"Now I'm not going to say that since we won at Regionals that we can just take it easy and cruise all the way through Nationals. But I do want us to enjoy what time we have left with each other without completely stressing out for the rest of the semester. So here's what we're going to do.

"Each of you guys will sing a duet with one other member. The assignment will be performed in front of the class in about two weeks, right after Spring Break. And afterwards, we'll have a big group number to wrap it up. Any questions?" Mr. Schue concluded. Mercedes raised her hand.

"How are we supposed to pick our partners? We have an odd number of members," she asked. Schue proceeded to reach over behind the piano and pulled out a bowl with small strips of paper in them.

"The name-drawing again? Are you sure about that Mr. Schue? Remember how you ended up having to sing with Rachel that one time?" Puck stated at the sight of the container.

"A performance which was flawless, by the way," Rachel muttered under her breath, folding her arms and crossing her legs.

"In this bowl are seventeen names. The first one who comes up will draw two names and then we'll pair off from there. One group of three and seven groups of two. Sound fair?" said Mr. Schuester. No one could really complain at this point; duets were easier and more fun than a lot of them could've hoped for after having failed epically at Nationals last year. Will placed the bowl on top of the piano and faced the club.

"Puck, would you mind drawing first?"

"Eh, whatevskis," was the reply. Puck sauntered over to the piano, shut his eyes, and picked out two name strips. He glanced upward and read out, "I got Sam and Artie."

"Awesome."

"Fo' shizzle."

Joe was next to walk up and draw a name. "Quinn," he announced with a smile and she replied with a pleased sigh.

"I'll go next," Kurt whispered to Blaine as he stood and made his way over to the bowl. He reached down and fumbled around a bit before pulling out his card. He let out a small huff before reading out the name.

"Mercedes."

The named girl smiled up at him and Kurt returned it. Somehow, he had expected something a little different like Blaine or Rachel or even Finn. Come to think of it, Kurt couldn't recall a time where the two of them actually had a duet. It was weird; he and Mercedes used to be the best of friends; practically inseparable. It wasn't that he disliked her at all, they were definitely still friends and he absolutely loved the girl, but it seemed that they had just grown apart lately. Ever since their senior year started, Kurt had just been basically spending most his time with Blaine and Rachel. Finn didn't really count because, well, they _lived_ together. He could see Finn anytime he wanted. But after everything through their sophomore and junior years, Mercedes had been his best friend and stuck by him… and now they barely even talked to each other outside of Glee.

At least she seemed content about him drawing her name. Kurt smiled as he headed back to his seat next to Blaine. The shorter boy exhaled and walked over to pull out his card.

"Rachel," he laughed. Rachel pressed her hand to her chest modestly.

"It seems only fitting," she stated around to the rest of the room. Kurt let out a barely audible sigh. _Typical_, he thought. He really should've seen that one coming.

David stood and everyone watched him as he made the similar journey over to the piano. He drew the name and glanced around the classroom, everyone waiting in anticipation as if he were about to announce the winner of American Idol.

"Santana," he said finally. The Latina tilted her head to the right, a tiny smile on her face, and David headed back to take his seat once more. Tina pulled Mike (naturally), Brittany drew Sugar, whom both clapped excitedly, and that left Finn and Rory to be paired off together.

"Alright, you guys. I want you all to think about your song choice over next week, spend a little time over Spring Break polishing it up and have it ready to perform the following Monday. We'll be spending class time next week working on the big group number and then after the break, we prep for Nationals! Class dismissed."

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><p>Kurt sped out of the choir room in order to catch up with Blaine who seemed to be trying to get out as quickly as he could.<p>

"Blaine, wait up!" Kurt called. The named boy turned his head to face Kurt as he finally caught up with him.

"Hey, babe, what's up?" he asked, a small grin on his face.

"Well, rehearsal is over, so… I was wondering if you still wanted to talk," Kurt replied hesitantly. Kurt really hated the awkward feeling he got when he tried to push conversations. Earlier in his life, he never really had that problem. But with all the ordeals that had gone down within the past three years because he couldn't figure out when to stop talking, it now made him feel uncomfortable. He could see that he was doing just that because the discomfort on Blaine's face was clear as he bit his lip.

"Gosh, Kurt, I'm really, really sorry but—"

"It's not the right time," Kurt completed. Blaine let out a huff and cupped his boyfriends' face in his hands as he kissed his forehead.

"We'll talk soon, okay? I promise," he said with a smile. Kurt returned it.

"Are we still on for Friday?" he asked optimistically. Not to Kurt's surprise, another sigh left Blaine's mouth as he shut his eyes and turned his face to the ceiling.

"Wow, I am such an idiot… I meant to tell you this weekend. I know that I arranged for us to have an actual date this Friday, but something came up." Blaine stuffed his hands in his pockets and Kurt folded his arms over his chest.

"My big brother, Cooper, is coming home for the weekend. And my parents want this weekend to be all about _him_. I'm so sorry, Kurt, I have to cancel," Blaine took Kurt's hand in his and caressed it, a look of solemn disappointment on his face.

"You have a brother? How come I didn't know about this?"

"I don't really talk about him a lot. I guess he just never came up."

"Well… what if I came over to your house instead? You could invite me over for dinner and I could meet this _imaginary_ brother of yours. I think it'd be a great opportunity to finally meet your parents too," Kurt smiled. Blaine bit his lip.

"I dunno, Kurt… I'm really not sure that's a good idea. I mean, they aren't exactly what you'd call… open-minded."

"Well, they know you're gay, don't they?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that they're necessarily happy about it. We aren't all as lucky to have parents that are as awesome and accepting as your dad. They've kind of just stayed out of my business since I came out and also with Cooper coming home, it would just be—"

"It would just cause unnecessary drama to introduce your family to your boyfriend," Kurt interjected softly, looking down at his feet. Seconds passed in silence and Kurt glanced back up at Blaine, who wore an expression as if Kurt had just told him that someone died.

"Blaine… do they even _know_ about me?"

"Kurt… of course, they do… Of course, I've told them about you," Blaine took Kurt by the biceps and rubbed them. As Kurt turned his face away from the junior, he felt the tip of Blaine's finger pull him by his chin so that he was facing Blaine, looking him straight in those hazel eyes.

"Hey," he said tenderly, "you know what? Come over on Friday. Seven o'clock. I'll introduce you to mom and dad… and even Cooper… if that's what you want."

"Okay," Kurt nodded. "But only if you're sure."

Blaine stood silently for a short moment, his eyes still locked on Kurt. He let out a sigh and finally said, "Yeah… I'm sure." He made an attempt at a smile.

With that, Kurt gave him a quick kiss on the lips, told him goodbye, and made his way down the otherwise empty hallway in the opposite direction.

_If that's what you want_… Of course, that's what Kurt wanted. The only thing loitering in the back of his mind was did Blaine want the same thing…

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><p><strong>Ugh… sorry for the excessive Klaine. It's funny how we never hear anything about Blaine's family. Well, looks like I have a little bit of liberty to take ;)<strong>

**Anyway, this chapter ended up being longer than I thought it would be! I would've just annexed this onto chapter 6 originally, but now I am so glad I didn't! I've been worried about rushing, but it turns out that this is going at a pretty reasonable pace for me. Hope it's going the same for you!**

**As usual, let me know what you think of the chapter by leaving a review and I'll try to update soon!**


	8. I Don't Even Know What I'm Reading

**Alright you guys, so I am very happy to say that I finally uploaded this! I know you all have been waiting and I'm SO very, **_**very**_** sorry. I was just waiting for a little inspiration. **

**I feel like such a slacker! My goal (aside from entertaining you all) is to keep you waiting as **_**short**_** a time as possible, and it seems like my updates are becoming farther and farther apart and for that, I apologize.**

**Okay, I know you guys really don't care about the apologies, so let's just get back to the show :3**

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><p>The following day, Kurt sat in his English class, his thoughts on every other possible thing except <em>Macbeth <em>or _Hamlet_ or whatever it was that they were working on. He was far too focused on more pressing matters, like Nationals for example. Or the fact that he would be meeting his boyfriend's slightly homophobic parents tomorrow night.

But even more strangely, he found those same lyrics repeating over in his head:

_Others who broke my heart_

_They were like Northern stars_

_Pointing me on my way_

_Into your loving arms_

Kurt then felt a buzzing in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and read the text message.

**David**:_I didn't think it was possible, but I think you guys actually may have turned this place around. I haven't seen one slushee yet. What happened? :P_

Speak of the devil! Kurt chuckled quietly and glanced upward at the teacher to see that she had her back to him before he replied.

**Kurt**: _Who knows? I mean, there haven't really been a whole lot of reasons for the Bully Whips to be involved recently, but maybe you set some people straight last year. Kudos ;3_

**David**:_ Lol you know that wasn't my idea, right? But w/e, I'll take it._

**Kurt**: _Well, Day 2 is almost over. Just think about it this way; after tomorrow, your first week will be done with and all the anxiety of the comeback will be behind you!_

Before the text had even been sent, Kurt felt his phone vibrate mid-sentence. As soon as the text to Dave had gone through, he checked the new message.

**Mercedes**:_ Let's get together afterschool today. Work on our duet!_

Kurt looked over at Mercedes, who sat a couple desks down, seemingly focusing on her notes. She peered up at him for a slight moment and grinned. Kurt returned it.

**Kurt**:_ Sure thing! My place, about 4:00?_

**Mercedes**:_ Sounds good to me!_

There was another buzz.

**David**: _Whoo-hoo! Then I can deal with the slightly different, but equally horrifying anxiety of the rest of the year :P_

**Kurt**:_ Well at least you can be real, Dave. And don't worry about it. Just remember; we are…_

**David**:_ We are… what?_

**Kurt**: _I'm waiting for you to finish it… :P_

"Mr. Hummel, I'd greatly appreciate it if you would put your phone away," said a voice that Kurt had been tuning out all period. He looked up from the screen of his phone and saw the elderly Mrs. Swanson glaring at him from the dry erase board.

"Sorry," he murmured. Mrs. Swanson merely grunted and turned back around to continue scribbling on the board. Kurt's phone buzzed once more and he read the text quickly before stuffing the phone back in his pocket, a satisfied smirk on his face.

**David**:_ Haha fine… In this together… Got it, Fancy._

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><p>Having never really been assigned to be duet partners before, Kurt and Mercedes found it a bit difficult to find a song that suited each of their respective voices and did them justice perfectly to the best of their abilities. As the two of them sat up in Kurt's bedroom that Thursday afternoon brainstorming ideas for their duet assignment, somehow they managed to come down to two <em>completely<em> different, yet equally amazing, song choices. But it would just be flat-out wrong to try and join their ideas because even the thought of attempting to mash up Whitney and Mariah's _When You Believe_ with Lady Gaga and Beyoncé's _Telephone _should be a crime in and of itself.

"Okay, Kurt, since that is way too atrocious to even think about, I suggest we try and find something else," Mercedes chuckled as she plopped down onto his bed.

"Agreed," Kurt replied.

"How bout we look for some inspiration?" Mercedes said as she stood and strolled over to Kurt's stereo on his nightstand. As she clicked it on, an annoyingly familiar, yet strangely catchy beat erupted from the speakers. Mercedes began to dance as she looked over at Kurt and sang along:

_And he ill, he real, he might got a deal_

_He pop bottles and he got the right kinda bill_

_He cold, he dope, he might sell coke_

_He always in the air, but he never fly coach_

Mercedes seized Kurt by the hand and jerked him off of the bed and, with a roll of his eyes, he immediately began dancing wildly to the rhythm of the Nicki Minaj song and sang along with her:

_He a motherfuckin' trip-trip, sailor of the ship-ship_

_When he make it drip-drip, kiss him on the lip-lip_

_That's the kinda dude I was lookin' fo'_

_And yes, ya get slapped if ya lookin' hoe!_

_I said, excuse me, you're a hell of a guy_

_I mean my-my-my-my, you're like pelican fly_

_I mean, you're so shy and I'm lovin' your tie_

_You're like slicker than the guy with the thing on his eye, oh!_

_Yes I did, yes I did_

_Somebody please tell them who the eff I is_

_I am Nicki Minaj, I mack them dudes up_

_Back coupes up and chug the deuce up_

Kurt and plopped back down onto the bed in a burst of laughter while Mercedes continued to jam out.

"Ooh, Kurt, I don't think we need to look anymore. I think we just took care of our assignment," she said, dancing through her sentence. Kurt snickered.

"Somehow, I don't think that this is what Mr. Schue wanted us to go for."

"Hey, he said _anything_, didn't he? Anything goes, Kurt, anything goes. And plus we need some songs that we can all dance to! Show how much all that booty camp paid off!"

Kurt chuckled as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had received a text from Blaine, finally. It had been a while since Blaine actually texted him first. But somehow the message that was typed didn't do much to keep him elated for long.

**Blaine**: _Cooper will be home at 6 tomorrow. Dinner starts at 7. I told mom & dad that u were coming so come over about 5ish._

"What's wrong?"

Kurt looked up after sending "Okay" to see Mercedes staring down at him, her dance coming to a stopping point.

"Nothing…" he sighed. Mercedes walked over to the nightstand and Nicki came to an abrupt stop. She sat down on the bed next to him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… I mean… I think so… Blaine's having me over to meet his family tomorrow." Mercedes looked at him as if he had just said that he was upset that he won a free dinner to Breadstix.

"Well, that's good isn't it?" she chuckled. Kurt shrugged.

"Yeah, you'd think that, but… I don't think he really wants me to."

"Kurt, that's ridiculous. He's been over here a bunch of times; he's met Burt. And you've been to his house…"

"I've only been to his house once and that was on opening night of _West Side Story _when his parents weren't even home. I just can't help thinking that… maybe he doesn't want me to meet them."

"Okay, boy, now you're just talkin' crazy. Don't you think you're reading a little too much into this? You two have been together for like, what, about a year? That's pretty serious."

"Exactly, Mercedes. That means that I should've met his parents a long time ago. I love him and everything, but I just feel like… I dunno. And it's not just that, he's been acting really weird lately; all… _secretive_ and stuff. He keeps telling me he wants to talk to me, but that's about it. We never get the chance to actually have a conversation."

"Well, Kurt, I'm sure he really wants to talk to you about whatever's going on, but it's just never the right time. If it's really important, he'll tell you when he gets the chance. I'm sure of it."

Kurt nodded and Mercedes patted him on the back as she stood and faced him.

"Now. What are we gonna do about this song?"

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><p><strong>Once again, so sorry for the wait! I hope you all enjoyed it, though. Leave reviews, please! I'll try to get the next chapter up in a shorter amount of time! xD Promise!<strong>


	9. Seventy Seven

**I know that you all are waiting for Friday night dinner at the Andersons, and I PROMISE that it's coming VERY soon! But first, there's some stuff that I wanted to get in, so bear with me ;)**

**Once again, I'm so happy to see the number of people following and adding this to their Favorites! It truly means a lot to me. Now if just half of you could kindly leave a review, that would make me the happiest person in the world! For my constant reviewers, I love you guys so much and you make me smile every time I get an alert! I would love it if all of you left reviews if you're enjoying it, honestly. It would make me feel extremely happy to know that you like the story thus far and that you're interested!**

**Okay. Let's go!**

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><p>Three o'clock. For some dumb reason, David had somehow managed to convince himself to go eavesdrop on an afterschool football practice that Friday afternoon. Why he decided to do that, he had absolutely no idea. Maybe he was masochistic or something. That had to be the case because right now, sitting in the stands watching the Titans was absolute <em>hell<em>.

He in no way, shape, or form missed most of the guys on the team and Glee was actually pretty fun, but even before he found out who he was and learned to accept it, his one true love had always been football. The sport had practically held him together throughout his years of confusion and it was always such an easy outlet for his anger and pain. That is, until he actually had to start dealing with it head-on. Then the time came where tossing around pigskin wasn't enough to cope with his self-loathing, so he made the decision to channel it into bullying and tearing others down relentlessly. Then came the domino effect of sophomore year.

He was out now. Not only that, he was actually kind of… _proud _about it too. And that should've been enough. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't stop the "what-if" thoughts from clouding his mind. What if he had stayed in the closet? What if he hadn't left McKinley? What if he… hadn't ever kissed Kurt?

None of this was Kurt's fault and David felt horrible for even thinking to insinuate that, even in his own head, for a mere _second_. If anything, Kurt was the thing that saved him when football lost its spark. But what if Kurt hadn't followed him into the locker room that day? What if David hadn't acted on that… _craving_ impulse? Not necessarily for someone to be with, but just for someone… to understand him? To help him?

Odds are things probably would've gone the same way that they had been. He would've still been the right guard, he would've still gotten hit on by most of the Cheerios, and he would've still been popular. But he _still_ wouldn't be _happy_.

"You don't have to torture yourself by watching, you know."

David abandoned his thoughts and turned to his right to see Kurt Hummel standing in the bleachers, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes looking down upon the former jock. David opened his mouth to argue that he was not trying to torture himself, but simply sighed instead and turned his head back to the Titans on the field. He felt Kurt sit down next to him.

"I just thought that… maybe I'd get some closure or something," he muttered, his eyes still locked on the football field.

"And how's that working out for you?" Kurt asked, sarcastically. David smirked and scoffed as he turned to face the boy.

"You don't have to be mean, ya know," he said.

"Me? Mean? I have no idea what you're talking about; I am fucking _delightful_. And an absolute _joy_ to be around," Kurt said in a matter-of-fact tone, a smile on his face. Dave chuckled and shoved him playfully.

"Eh… you're okay, I guess," Dave smirked. Kurt shoved him back. David's grin faded as he looked back out to the field and saw one Titan that stood out from all the others. He swallowed hard at the sight. Out of his peripheral, he could see Kurt also turning his attention to the field and spotting the certain athlete.

"Oh… David, that's… is that…"

"Yup… that's my old number," he whispered as the football player wearing a jersey with the bold #77 on it tackled another Titan who appeared to have been Azimio. David couldn't make out who it was from the stands, but the new 77 was fairly smaller than he was. One thing was for sure, it was someone David had never even seen before. The kid had to have been new because the jersey didn't even fit his smaller body properly. The guy had to have been kind of powerful to take down Azimio… a new force to be reckoned with…

"Hey, can we go?" Dave asked, turning to Kurt. Kurt looked back at him, an expression of sheer sympathy on his face. He probably could've seen the hurt on David's. He really had to get better at hiding that; all this time being out of the closet was making the ex-jock lose his poker face. He was becoming absolutely _pathetic_.

"Sure," Kurt said softly, "we can do that."

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><p>David and Kurt made their way to the Lima Bean together. Kurt ordered his usual Grande nonfat mocha while Dave ordered nothing. They sat across from each other by the front window.<p>

"Ya know, McDonalds has coffee too now," David said. Kurt stopped himself from taking a sip and glared at David curiously.

"Yeah, as if I would be caught dead inside that grease trap. All they have to offer is a pedophilic clown with a side of high cholesterol. Besides, after my dad's heart attack, I made a vow to steer clear of all… _suggestive_ foods," Kurt replied.

"Oh, so you mean anything meant for _people_?"

"I can eat like a person! I eat people food, Karofsky."

"No, you eat _rabbit_ food, Hummel," Dave folded his arms behind his head. Kurt scoffed.

The bell on the door chimed and both David and Kurt looked over to see none other than McKinley Titan #77 entering the café. David's heart sank a bit.

This new guy was not only apparently a beast on the field, but he wasn't as tiny as he looked before from the stands. He was still considerably shorter than David, about Kurt's height, and had a lean, swimmer body, which still bore the muddy, grass-stained uniform. He had a tannish complexion and his brown hair was styled a lot like Finn's was. His eyes were a pale blue and he had a beauty mark above his upper lip. David almost hated to admit it, but… even with his skin splattered with mud and drenched in sweat, the new guy was actually kind of attractive.

David expected a sea of football players to trail in after him, but the boy appeared to be alone. He looked across the table at Kurt, who had pursed his lips together, eyes wide. The shorter boy nodded slowly. David turned his attention back to the football player, whom had stepped into a line at the counter.

"Hey, Seventy-Seven!" David called. The boy turned his head towards Dave and Kurt and gave a tiny smile when he walked over to them.

"Hey… what's up?" he replied. David glanced over at Kurt, made eye contact for a brief moment, and then turned back to the new guy.

"How long have you been a Titan?" the former football player inquired. The boy let out a short chuckle.

"Barely a week… Monday was my first day at McKinley. Name's Chandler Hall," the boy extended his hand to Kurt, who shook it, and then to Dave.

"I'm Kurt Hummel."

"David Karofsky." The boy's eyes widened and a smile stretched across his face. _Damn_, the dude had amazing teeth.

"So _you're_ Karofsky. It's nice to finally put a name to a face. People have been talking about you all week…"

"Yeah, well they can say whatever they want. And if you plan on making some smartass remark now, my friend Kurt and I would greatly appreciate it if you left." David folded his arms over his chest. Chandler immediately put his hands up in protest.

"No, man, you've got me all wrong. I don't wanna ridicule you or Kurt; honestly that's the last thing I intend to do. I actually think that it's cool how you managed to come back… after everything that happened. I mean… if the rumors are true, that is. I hope I'm not overstepping."

David looked to Kurt who gave him a reluctant, but approving nod.

"Well, if the rumors are that I'm gay… then they are true. But I'm sure half the stuff that kids are spreading around McKinley is bullshit." Chandler smirked.

"Well, that's cool. When I first heard about you, I for one admired you for it. In fact… you and I don't just play on the same team as far as football is concerned…"

"Wait, hold up… _you're_ gay?" Kurt choked on his coffee. Chandler chuckled and nodded in Kurt's direction.

"Yeah, actually, I am. That's not going to be a problem, is it?"

"No, no… I'm not trying to imply anything, it's just you're so…" Kurt flushed and couldn't even get the rest of his words out, which Chandler seemed to have found amusing.

"It's alright, Kurt, I get that a lot," he grinned. Both Kurt and David let out a self-conscious chuckle.

"Well, hey, I've gotta get back to practice soon, so… I'll catch up with you two later hopefully. It was great meeting both of you," Chandler said as he proceeded to walk away from their table.

"You too," said Kurt and David simultaneously. When Chandler was out of sight, they exchanged somewhat nervous glances.

"He was cute," Kurt stated plainly, breaking the silence.

"He was confident," Dave added. Kurt nodded and intertwined his fingers as he looked down at his watch. A look of immediate terror appeared on his face.

"Shit."

"What? What's wrong Kurt?"

"David, I am _so_ sorry, I have to go. It's 4:45; I'm about to be late for dinner at Blaine's. He's family is expecting me and… it's just a big night," Kurt explained in a rushed tone. It took David a small moment to comprehend but he nodded slowly once he did.

"No, it's… it's okay. We'll hang out again, some other time."

"Definitely. This was nice," Kurt whispered as he embraced David in a deep goodbye hug. He stood back and clasped his hands firmly onto Dave's shoulders as he looked him in the eye.

"We'll do this again soon, okay?" he said softly.

"Sure," Dave replied slowly. Kurt smiled and turned quickly on his heel away from David and out the door. _Blaine_… how could an afternoon that went so seemingly well end with David feeling so bad?

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><p><strong>Aww poor Davey! Well, to be fair, he and Kurt didn't even schedule to hang out. <strong>

**Anyway, I hope you guys are loving it! I heard rumors about this new Chandler guy coming up on canon, and I thought it would be nice to kind of incorporate him into the story. Hope you guys like how I handled it!**

**And also, I know nothing about canon Chandler, except for the fact that apparently he is a handsome gay jock. So if he turns out to not look like how I described him, I apologize :P**

**Hope you all liked the chapter! Leave reviews please and I'll catch ya later! xD**


	10. My Body Is A Cage

**Glad to see all the feedback and alerts! Thank you guys so much, couldn't do it without you! I was happy to see what you guys thought of the last chapter and your opinions on Chandler. Enjoy!**

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><p>David returned to McKinley that evening after his little outing at the Lima Bean with Kurt. Football practice had been over for at least an hour, so the weight room was his for the taking. For the past few days ever since he came back, Dave would come in here after practice and just pump iron for a little while until he had a somewhat clear head. Since he had still been in the closet at his old school, he never had to worry about anyone attempting to give him a hard time while he tried to work out. He could just be among all the other football guys and no one would even care to hassle him. But now that he was back at McKinley where everyone knew about him, the best way to ensure he got through his routinely exercise was to make sure that he did it after hours when no one was there.<p>

Being at school late was also a great distraction to take David's mind off other things, like his home life for example. He knew that even if he _did_ somehow manage to survive that suicide attempt, things would never be the same afterwards. The tears in his dad's eyes when he had discovered that his one and only son might be gone forever… his mom's words… Azimio. Everything was turning upside down. It wasn't supposed to be this way; he was _supposed_ to be dead right now. But chances are… things would've been much worse. He would've died that day and he wouldn't ever be able to plead his case. He'd never be able to explain the way he felt his entire life. No one would hear him. Sure, they'd know he was gay from all the hateful things posted on his Facebook wall, but no one would know the _truth_. And even more so, he wouldn't know the truth about them. He would never have lived to see their true colors. And to make matters worse, this wasn't the only thing he was trying to channel out of his mind.

_Blaine_. No matter how much he tried to force himself to concentrate on his weights, he couldn't stop thinking about that either. It seemed like all of Kurt's words that haunted him for the past year forced their way into his mind with each push. _Great_, he thought. The one place he could come to take his mind off of all that, and it was all he could think about. He pushed the weights up and brought them back down again with each thought.

_Well, guess what, Hamhock: you're not my type!_

Push.

_That right?_

_Yeah. I don't dig on chubby boys who sweat too much and are gonna be bald by the time their thirty!_

Part of the reason Dave started working out so profusely was to indeed get in shape for his own wellbeing. But he'd be lying if he said that what Kurt said hadn't stung him a little bit. He'd admit it, he wasn't the skinniest guy around; he was no _Chandler_. And then of course, that led to other thoughts.

_You get a guy? Please._

Push.

_Why? ... What's wrong with me?_

Push.

_First off, you are about a _hundred_ pounds overweight. Quit waxing your eyebrows; you look like Liberace. In fact, just… stay in the closet buddy._

Dave was a _bear cub_, or whatever. There was no getting around that. And when he was at Scandals, he _owned_ it. It helped him fit in and made him approachable. But he was never going to be good enough for Kurt if he didn't look the part. David had to do this and Kurt was a huge part of his motivation. But Kurt had already made it clear that he wasn't interested in him on two occasions.

_And I'm flattered. I-I really am, but… David you just _think_ that you love me; you don't _really_ love me._

_No, you've helped me so much Kurt. You don't know…_

He kept pushing even harder. This was the last thing he wanted to think about.

_David, look, I am so proud of you for-for coming so far. And I want you to be happy and… and you _will_ be happy… But I'm with Blaine._

Of course he was. Blaine. It was always _fucking_ Blaine. Blaine was skinnier than David, he was a better singer and performer than David… and most importantly, he had _Kurt _and David didn't. And what stung the most was that even through all the drama... through all the crap and the lengths that David went to and the things he sacrificed… it was for nothing.

_Fuck, dude, you have got to stop thinking like that…_

Kurt had helped him through _so_ much in the past year. They were past all the bad stuff that happened in their history and they were on the road to becoming really good friends. If it weren't for Kurt, he probably never would've even had the courage to accept his sexuality, let alone come out and tell people. He'd probably still be hurting, self-loathing, and… he had no choice but to force the weights back onto the rack, lay down on his back, and bury his head in his palms when his thoughts turned to him in his favorite suit, about to fall off of that chair, the belt around his neck…

But then again… Blaine had helped Kurt first. Blaine gave Kurt the same kind of hope that he had received. Last year, Kurt was alone. He wasn't nearly as alone as David, but he still had no one in his life who could _truly_ understand.

David sat up abruptly at the sound of wet feet striding across the hall approached the weight room, accompanied by singing. _Thank god_, David thought. It wasn't Azimio… Azimio had no clue who the hell Cage The Elephant was. David could now see a shadow creeping up against the wall. Could've been Hudson… _kind of_ sounded like Hudson… a _little_.

_Not even fifteen minutes later_

_I'm still walkin' down the street_

_When I saw a shadow of a man creep outta sight_

_And then he swept up from behind_

_He put a gun up to my head_

_And he made it clear he wasn't lookin' for a fight_

_He said give me all you got_

_I want your money, not your life…_

It wasn't Finn. Before the verse could even be completed, David was eye to eye with a half-naked Chandler. The guy had obviously just gotten out of the shower; his body was soaking wet and there was a white towel wrapped around his thin, muscled waist. David made an attempt not to seem like he was staring and he could easily see that Chandler was trying to look anywhere but at David, both of them feeling incredibly uncomfortable right now.

"Hello, again," Chandler said, making sure his towel was wrapped around him tight.

"Hey," David replied quickly.

"I'm sorry, I… I didn't expect anyone else to be in here," the new boy chuckled. Dave nodded slowly, an awkward grin on his face.

"Yeah, me either. I guess neither one of us would be here if we did."

"Yeah," Chandler huffed, "you, uh… need a spot or something?"

"Nah, I was… I was just finishing. Hey, you, uh… you mind, uh… you know… putting some clothes on?"

"Oh, right… yeah, just a sec."

David turned his back to Chandler and focused his attention on anything else but the stripping boy behind him. It was weird; David never felt uncomfortable being in the same room as a naked man. But then again, that was back when no one knew that he was gay, so he didn't have to worry about anyone thinking that he was checking them out (even if he secretly was). And the fact that Chandler was gay too made it all the more awkward.

_Come on, Karofsky, it's just another dude. It's not like it's anything you haven't seen before_, he thought. But this wasn't just another dude. Now that David was sure of who he was and had quit denying how he felt, he felt that he would've been… _objectifying_ Chandler if he turned around. And that just felt weird.

After about a minute of uncomfortable silence, Chandler finally spoke up again, thank God.

"So, what're you doing in here anyway?" the shorter boy asked. David turned back around to see that Chandler had put on a pair of black gym shorts and a gray wife beater tank top.

"You know, just… clearing my head for a little bit. You?" David lay back down on the weight bench.

"Eh, just trying to stay out of trouble. I don't usually shower when the other guys do. You know, the whole 'gays can't be trusted in the showers with other dudes without wanting to butt-rape them' thing. Most people don't care, but I figure since I'm new, I'm a sophomore, and I'm already on the starting varsity team, I can lie low for a little bit. I don't care, I just don't wanna make the other guys uncomfortable or whatever. "

"You're in tenth grade? Damn. You must've been a pretty big deal at your old school."

"Eh, if that's what you wanna call it," Chandler laughed, "so. Why do you need to clear your head?"

"Just reasons dude… just reasons."

"Trouble in paradise, eh?"

"Wha…?"

"It seemed like you were fine earlier this afternoon. You know, when you were with your boyfriend. Something happen?" Chandler sat down on the locker bench.

"Kurt… he's not my boyfriend," David muttered. The tenth grader suddenly looked embarrassed.

"_Wow_, I'm sorry. I just assumed since… it kind of looked like y'all were on a date or something…"

"Well, we weren't. It was just… two gay friends hanging out. That's all," David breathed. He eyed Chandler when he saw the smirk on the other boys face.

"You don't sound too sure about that, Dave. Seems like maybe you want there to be more…"

"Look dude, it's a long story and you really are kind of overstepping a bit. I just met you, kid," Dave let the comment come out snarkier than he'd meant to. The sophomore had obviously taken offense to it and wore the expression of a kicked puppy. Even though the kid was on the verge of crossing a line, David couldn't help but feel bad.

"Sorry, David… I didn't mean to try to get in your business. Being nosy is kind of a bad habit of mine," he smirked pathetically.

"It's cool… Sorry I got an attitude." They sat in another few seconds of uncomfortable silence until David finally spoke up first this time. "It doesn't matter… I'm not his type anyway. He's not into…" _chubby boys who sweat too much and will be bald by the time their thirty_ "guys that look like me."

"Well, what's wrong with you?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" David chuckled sadly. Why the hell was he telling this guy anything? These were things that he hardly ever talked about with anybody, unless he was making a joke about being fluffy or cuddly. But why was he telling a complete stranger about his insecurities?

"Well… how bout I help you?"

"What?" David asked dumbly.

"Yeah. I mean, come on; I look how I look," he gestured to his torso, "Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with you. But if you think that getting in better shape would help you with Kurt, then I'd be happy to help you out. You guys would look cute together."

"He has a boyfriend, dude."

"Well… how does _he_ look?" Chandler asked innocently. David sighed. True, Blaine was a hobbit, but he was a _fit_ hobbit.

"What's in it for you?" David asked skeptically. The other boy simply shrugged.

"Honestly? I kind of just want to make some friends around here. If this works out, who knows, maybe _you'll_ end up being my friend," he grinned. David literally couldn't help but snicker.

"Okay, Chandler… whatever."

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><p>David drove home later that evening, more on his mind than before. Thankfully, he wasn't focusing on the negative as much. Chandler… was kind of a strange guy. But there was just something about the kid that David couldn't shake. Maybe it was how… <em>childish<em> he seemed. Not childish in the bad connotation, but more like… a blissful spirit or whatever you want to call it. All David had flowing through his mind was that maybe… just maybe… things _could_ still work out.

Dave's thoughts came to a stop when he spotted an unfamiliar car in his driveway. It was a 2008 silver Sedan, but there was no one inside. No one had told _him_ that they were expecting company.

After parking his truck in the garage, David made his way inside the house and called out for his parents, but no one answered. It was then that he strolled over to the kitchen and saw his father standing bent over, both hands on the countertop. His mother Nancy was sitting at the dinner table, her elbows on top of it, and her locked fingers to her chin.

As he stepped into the kitchen, he saw that they were not alone. There was a man sitting at the table with his mom; a man that he hadn't seen before. He had balding gray hair, glasses, and wore navy blue, pinstripe slacks, a pale blue dress shirt, and a gold tie. All three pairs of eyes were immediately on David as he entered.

"David…" his mother whispered. Her voice was so… earnest and… almost pleading. He hadn't heard this much concern in her voice in about a month, which would've made him relieved if he wasn't so freaked out.

"What… what's going on? Did somebody die or something?" David's heart sank as Nancy exchanged solemn looks with the old man in the suit.

"David, we… we need to talk…"

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><p><strong>Wow, I didn't expect this chapter to be this long. I almost didn't put that last little snippet there… but I'd say that's good enough. Sorry to end on such a cliffhanger, but you guys know why I have to do that :P<strong>

**Also, I would like to promote my newest fic "PRIDE". I will most likely end up advertising this other fic in some of my A/Ns and vice versa.**

**And 50 reviews so far! Thank you guys so much. I'm hoping for maybe 75 before Chapter 15? Wishful thinking? Lol as usual, please leave reviews! I'll update soon, I promise!**


	11. Meet The Parents

**Wow, you guys, I am SO sorry. I know I promised to update soon and I hate that I had to keep y'all waiting this long. I've just had a really busy week. But anyway, it's up now so have at it! Eat up… because it's dinnertime. ;)**

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><p>Blaine was stressing himself out over nothing. So Kurt was running a bit late; big frigging whoop. It was only ten minutes after 5:00… even though he had blatantly told his parents that Kurt would've been here by now.<p>

_It's not a big deal_, he thought. But in his reality, this actually was a very huge deal. Did Kurt have any idea how many strings Blaine had to pull just to set this up? Did he have any idea how Blaine had to spend literally _hours_ attempting to convince his parents to let his boyfriend come over for dinner the same night that their perfect son was supposed to be coming by for a visit?

And, of course, that was another thing. Cooper. As if it wasn't bad enough that Blaine's relationship with his brother was practically based on teasing and ridiculing, just the thought of Cooper even in the same room as Kurt sent a shiver up his spine. It didn't help to know that he would be constantly reminded tonight that there was really nothing that he could ever do to measure up to the perfect Cooper Anderson…

Cooper was everything that Blaine was, only better. At the same time, he was also everything that Blaine wasn't. He was the jock and the popular guy at Dalton, but he was also a Warbler, like Blaine himself. In fact, the main reason that Blaine became such a crucial member of that club at such an early time in his high school career at Dalton was because of Cooper's legacy. Sure Blaine had the talent, which came in handy, but no one would have even known that if it weren't for Cooper because he wouldn't have even been given a chance. Having inherited his brother's reputation of greatness and excellence was a blessing and a curse. While Blaine had all the stardom and opportunities of an Anderson, he could never really prove his worth as just being… Blaine.

And now the prodigy would return and Blaine would be right back where he was years ago before Cooper left to fulfill some New York City dream of being an actor; in the shadows. And to make matters worse, it would be in front of his boyfriend (if Kurt ever decided to show up). All the shame and ridicule that Blaine had to put up with as a child would be forced out into the open for Kurt to see. And that just wouldn't be right. Kurt had always been so proud of him; hell, he even looked up to him as a _hero_ last year as if he were the freaking _messiah_. And now he was deliberately bringing the boy who worshipped him together with the family that practically repudiated him. Blaine struggled with these feelings among others, but for some reason, the question that shouted over all the other thoughts was, "Kurt, what the hell is taking you so long?"

As he paced frantically around his room, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door downstairs. Finally!

"Oh, thank god," he whispered as he bustled through his bedroom door and hurried downstairs to the front door before his parents could get there. He reached for the knob and flung the door wide open when…

_Crap_. His heart sank when he discovered that it was not Kurt who had come to their door, but none other than Cooper himself. The sight of his older brother gave Blaine a mixed array of emotions. He wasn't sure whether he was upset or just in shock, but one thing was for sure. He was… anxious. That was the only reaction that he could actually put a label on. Having completely forgotten what he was going to say to Kurt if this had been him at the door, Blaine gazed at Cooper, a dumbfounded look on his face. The older Anderson brother stared back at him with uncertainty and tiny wave.

"Hey, bro," the older brother said slowly. Blaine blinked.

"Hi… Coop. Um… you're early," he replied, looking down at his watch which read 5:25. Cooper shrugged.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, no, it's just… it's nothing," Blaine muttered.

"Well, are you gonna invite me in, princess, or are you just gonna stand in the doorway staring at me like I owe you money?"

Blaine huffed in an attempt to ignore the nickname as he stepped out of the doorway to allow Cooper to walk through.

"I see mom redecorated… again. The place looks nice," the latter commented. Blaine looked around the entry hall and saw that it really wasn't anything special. Cooper's football portraits still hung along the wall of the staircase and his soccer trophy's still aligned the opposite side of the stairs by the entry hall, obviously dusted. Their mom had even gone through the trouble to rearrange some of the furniture in the living room just so it would look like something was different. The house had looked like this for about a week, but it was easy to see that it had been cleaned up a bit for Cooper's arrival.

"Yeah, well… you know how she gets when it comes to you."

"Are they home?" Cooper asked, not even attempting to make eye contact with Blaine. The younger brother nodded, but then realized that he couldn't be seen so he said, "yeah. Mom's in the kitchen and dad's in his room."

Cooper headed towards the kitchen and was greeted almost immediately with the sound of clanging pots and pans and a squeal of excitement from their mother. Blaine paid her shrieks of laughter no mind as he turned back towards the open front door and gazed out across the street. Still nothing.

"Come on, Kurt, where are you?"

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><p>Kurt pulled into the Anderson's driveway at about 5:30. He would've been there sooner, but he had to wait <em>forever<em> at the subdivision gate for Blaine to text him back with the gate code.

After gussying up in front of his rearview mirror, he hurried out of his car, scuffled up to the door, and knocked. Thankfully it was Blaine who answered shortly after instead of one of the other Andersons. The expression on Blaine's face was difficult to read; it was a cross between relief and agitation.

"Kurt, where have you been? You were supposed to be here like a half hour ago."

"I'm sorry, Blaine. I got caught up with something," Kurt replied. He was definitely not going into detail to mention that he was hanging out with David Karofsky… even though he had absolutely _nothing_ to hide, of course. Come on, it was just _David_. It's not like he was out on a date or anything, they were just hanging out. But for some reason, Kurt felt it would just be better to leave that part out.

Before Blaine could open his mouth to respond, a tall man stepped up behind him from inside the house.

"Hey, who's at the door?" the man said, his eyes landing on Kurt after the question was uttered. Wait… Kurt recognized this man. Holy. Freaking. Crap. Could it be…?

"This your boyfriend, Blaine?"

"Yes, actually, he is. Cooper, this is Kurt Hummel. Kurt, this is… Cooper Anderson… my big brother."

"Oh, my god… you're the guy from the Free-Credit-Rating-Today-dot-com commercials!" Kurt squealed. Cooper smirked and let out a quiet laugh as he extended his hand for Kurt to shake.

"Yeah, that's him… the one and only," Blaine muttered, loudly enough for both Kurt and Cooper to hear, even if that wasn't his intention.

"Come on in," Cooper beckoned.

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><p>Kurt stayed up in Blaine's room until it was time for dinner at 7:00 and mainly listened to his boyfriend completely unload his feelings about his brother's presence. But of course when the two had finally made it downstairs, Blaine said nothing.<p>

The entire setting was a bit awkward to say the least. The five of them sat in silence for the most part aside from Mrs. Anderson's weak attempts at making conversation, mostly having to do with Cooper's past successes. Cooper tried to shift the conversation several times to different subjects, as he was probably ready to take a break from being the topic of discussion. Mr. Anderson didn't really say much of anything at all unless it was a short, monosyllabic, reply to a question directed specifically to him. Blaine… well, Blaine was the quietest of them all. He simply stared down at his plate and fiddled with his spaghetti and meatballs. And then there was Kurt, who had absolutely no idea what to do. He only spoke when spoken to, which wasn't all that often, and he tried to be as elaborate with his answers as he could to prolong the conversation. At times during this dinner, it worked for him and one thing led to another. But most of the time, it was just a failed attempt.

"So, Kurt, you're a senior?" Cooper asked after an unbearably long silence. Caught off guard by the direct question, Kurt nodded like an idiot.

"Uh, yes… I'm graduating this year. I have my NYADA audition in a couple of weeks and I hope to be in New York by the end of August."

"New York Academy of Dramatic Arts… interesting. You know, I had my sights set on the big NY once upon a time," he said.

"Well, I see it worked out well for you," Kurt commented with a smile as he took a sip of his diet coke. He glanced over at Blaine, who still hadn't looked up from his plate.

"Eh. New York is alright, but it's not worth all the hype, to be honest. It's a nice place to visit, but if you stay there too long, you'll grow to be sick of it within a couple of months."

"Oh, well… performing is my dream. I know that it's what I want to do with my life and New York is the perfect place I feel that I can pursue it," Kurt responded. Cooper chuckled to himself.

"You know, Cooper here had that dream too once. Ah, he always had such drive. And then he went and became an instant star right out of college! He really was meant to be a entertainer… my little actor just makes me so proud," Mrs. Anderson commented. Kurt smiled and nodded politely, but could see Blaine shifting uncomfortably in his seat out of his peripheral.

"You know, Blaine is quite the performer also. He led the Warblers to Regionals last year," he added. For the first time throughout the entire dinner, Blaine's wide eyes shot up from his plate and were immediately fixed on Kurt at the sound of his name.

"Cooper led that little singing group at Dalton to a National championship his senior year. He's a legend. Not only that, he's made something of himself… I'm proud of you son. It's good to know that there's someone around here that will take care of business," Mr. Anderson said, finally opening his mouth for the first time all evening except to eat. There wasn't really as much as _pride_ in his voice, but rather… spite? But why would he sound so vindictive if he were making a declaration about his son that would make a parent proud? Kurt noticed Blaine wince at the statement. There was a sudden tension in the room after Mr. Anderson's little comment.

"Well, I will… I will go and get the cobbler," Mrs. Anderson said, rising from her seat and strolling over to the kitchen.

"Dad, please don't do this," Kurt heard Blaine mutter to himself. Cooper pursed his lips together and looked down at his now empty plate.

"Look, Blaine, I'm sorry, okay, I tried. I really tried to make tonight work, but this is absolutely ridiculous. You knew tonight was supposed to be about your brother and then you go and invite… look," his eyes were turned on Kurt now and the singer felt his stomach turn.

"I'm sure you're a nice kid and whatever, but Blaine knew that tonight was supposed to be a special night. He shouldn't have invited you," he turned to Blaine and whispered, "and rubbed this in my face when I am _trying_ to be in a good mood. Why in the hell would you invite him over? It is so _selfish_ of you to flaunt your freaky little relationship in my face and make me uncomfortable on the night that your brother comes back home. I tried with you, Blaine, I really did. You didn't want my help; _fine_. But _this_? Have you no consideration for _anyone_? Seriously, Cooper is your fucking brother; show so damn respect."

He might as well have shouted it because Kurt heard every word. His heart sank and his mood had shifted from uncomfortable to downright… _sick_. He didn't feel like he could stay here much longer.

"Dad…"

This was getting to be too much. He suddenly felt horrible inside and wished to be anywhere but here. This really wasn't the reaction that Kurt had expected from Blaine either. For someone who was so out and proud, he would've at least expected Blaine to defend him; to defend their relationship… but no rebuttal came. Blaine just sat there and… took it.

"Dad… we have company," Cooper said, gesturing to Kurt with his eyes.

"Actually, I think I need to go," Kurt murmured as he stood and pushed his chair in under the table.

"Kurt," Blaine whispered. Mrs. Anderson emerged from the kitchen holding a rectangular pan filled with peach cobbler. She stopped in her tracks and suddenly all eyes were on Kurt.

"Aren't you going to stay for dessert?" she asked. Kurt shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Anderson, I've got to get home… my dad needs me. It was nice meeting you all," Kurt said softly, straining to keep his voice from cracking. He glanced over at Blaine who stared up at him with those big, sorrowful eyes. Kurt felt his eyes brimming with tears.

"I'll call you later," he said before exiting the dining room and walking swiftly out of the Anderson house. The second he shut the door to his Navigator, he immediately drove off, tears freely falling down his cheeks.

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><p><strong>I hope that this was worth the wait! Once again, I'm really sorry that this took so long. I'll definitely try harder to post the next chapter soon. I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Review please?<strong>


	12. A Friend In Need Volume 2

**Since last chapter kind of ended on a sad note, I'll keep this A/N short. Thank you guys for all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites thus far! You guys are so awesome and it really means a lot to me that you've decided to keep up and follow along with this story. Loved the feedback on Blaine's father and who knows, maybe something will happen to him later on ;) Enjoy!**

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><p>This was the first time in a while that Kurt drove home in complete silence.<p>

Though Kurt didn't live that far from Blaine's house, the drive home seemed like forever. His mind was haunted by this entire evening and he wished nothing more than for it to just go away. He wished that this had all just been a stupid dream and that he would wake up in his room any second now, but he knew that that wasn't the case.

To say that tonight didn't go according to plan would be a _huge_ understatement. But then again, what did he really expect? For Blaine's family to immediately love him right from the get-go and throw out their blessing for the two of them to run off, get married, and adopt a whole litter of Anderson-Hummel-Hudsons and grow up a well-dressed, theatrical family? Please… things were never that simple.

He should've seen it coming. There had to have been at least a billion signs telling him that tonight was a bad idea, but he was so freaking selfish that he didn't even listen. There was a reason that Blaine had never let Kurt meet his parents before and Kurt understood that now. This wasn't the right time and these weren't the right circumstances. He should've learned to be patient. It was extremely selfish of Kurt to put Blaine in that position, to where he _had_ to say yes to tonight. Maybe if Kurt hadn't been so pushy, they both could've been spared.

But even with all the thoughts of this being his own fault running through Kurt's mind, one thing lingered and stood out. All this time, Blaine had been honest about who he was. He was out. He was proud. Blaine was everything that Kurt had wanted for the past year and he was everything that Kurt had aspired to be. Blaine was like a light in the darkness for Kurt last year; a beacon of hope. He'd also really gone the distance for Kurt a couple of times… but when it came down to it, Blaine couldn't even stand up to his own family.

Mr. Anderson had completely spat in the face of their relationship as if it was absolutely irrelevant and didn't even matter. He had basically called them freaks and Blaine didn't even have the balls to do anything about it. This was what Kurt had the hardest time understanding.

Blaine had put up with a lot in his life. The fact that he was also harassed and beat up because of who he was had been something that he and Kurt had in common. But through all the crap that life threw his way, he still found a way to be positive. He even went all the way as to dancing with Kurt at junior prom in front of basically the entire McKinley student population. He had transferred from Dalton to be in a relationship with Kurt in public and didn't even so much as bat an eye when people looked at them like they didn't belong. And even before they had started dating, Blaine taught Kurt about what it really meant to have _courage_. He taught Kurt how to stand up for who he was and not be afraid of the naysayers… but when the time came, Blaine couldn't even follow his own advice. Sure, Mr. Anderson was kind of intimidating, but the fact that Blaine simply let him not only insult Kurt, but intentionally put down his own son was something that Kurt had a difficult time wrapping his head around. After all Blaine's talk of being out and proud, it was hard for Kurt to see his boyfriend in a state of such… vulnerability on the topic. Where was the courage then?

It was about 9:30 and after what seemed like a lifetime of driving, Kurt finally made it home. Burt and Carole were going to be out late tonight and Finn's car was missing, so he was undoubtedly staying the night at Rachel's or Puck's or something and wouldn't be back until tomorrow, so it seemed that Kurt would have the house all to himself. Truth be told, that was the way he wanted it. This way he wouldn't have to talk anybody and he wouldn't have to answer any questions. He wanted nothing more than to simply crawl into bed and forget that this evening ever even happened. But as he stepped out of his Navigator, something along the sidewalk by his house caught his eye.

There was a figure sitting alone in a crouched position on the sidewalk, sitting outside the illumination of the streetlight. Slowly and curiously, Kurt walked over to the figure and when he was merely feet away, his eyes widened and he let out a barely audible gasp.

"David?" he whispered. The named boy slowly turned his face upward in Kurt's direction. He made a weak attempt at a smile but quickly gave up and turned his head back to the pavement.

"Hey, Kurt," he muttered.

"What are you doing here?" Kurt said sincerely as he knelt down so that he was level with the former jock. There was a moment of silence and Dave simply shook his head.

"I, uh… I don't know why I…"

"David… how long have you been sitting out here?" The larger boy shrugged.

"I dunno, maybe… maybe about half an hour… I don't even know why; I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have come…"

"David," Kurt grabbed the by his arm as he attempted to stand and walk away and forced the taller boy to face him. The sight of David's face made his heart ache. He didn't need the light of a lamppost to see that David had been crying and there were still fresh tears on his face.

"Do you want to talk?" David shrugged, nodded his head, and wiped away the tears from his cheeks. Kurt led David into his house, locked the door behind him. The two of them made their way down to the basement so they wouldn't have to explain Dave's ordeals to Burt and Carole, or even Finn, should they decide to come home early. Once in he and Finn's bedroom, Kurt joined the ex-football player on the couch. They sat in silence for a minute or two, but Kurt didn't push anything. He wanted David to speak first.

"Your room looks nice…"

"Thanks," Kurt said slowly. His compassion-filled eyes were fixed on David and finally, the boy spoke.

"I just… I didn't have anywhere else to go," Dave said quietly.

"What happened?" Kurt placed a comforting hand on the other boy's back. Dave let out a frail shudder as he attempted to recount his story.

"When I got home today, after… after I got done hanging out with you at the Lima Bean… there was a man there… a guy I'd never seen before. He claimed that he was a friend of my mom's."

Kurt rubbed his hand along David's back as the larger boy let out a deep sigh.

"Ya know, at first I thought my grandpa Murray died or something; he hasn't been doing too well… but this guy… I knew there was something off about him…"

"Who was this guy?"

"My mom… my mom called this guy, Kurt. She… hired him… so he would come to my house and… she wanted him to try to make me straight."

"What?" Kurt asked in a hushed tone, incredulously.

"Apparently he's got a website, an office… he's some doctor… or something. He's with some church up in… _god_ knows where… and he claimed that he knew how to cure homosexuality."

"David…"

"At first I thought it was some kind of sick joke… that my parents were playing some kind of… twisted early April Fool's shit… but…"

"What did you do?"

"Well… basically, I refused to talk to him. He left pretty soon after that… then me and my mom… we got into it. Dad… my dad, he… I could tell that he wanted _so_ badly to just… to _help_ me. He tried to defend me, but… my mom… she wouldn't have it. And dad… my dad tried… _so_ hard, Kurt," Dave was choking on his words now and the shorter boy immediately pulled him into a tight hug. He ran his fingers through David's short hair as he let the boy sob into his shoulder.

"It's okay, David," Kurt whispered a she felt his own eyes brimming with tears for the second time this evening.

"I just… I just didn't know where else to go…" David pulled himself out of Kurt's chest and wiped away his tears once more.

"I would've gone to Santana's or something, but… your place is closer."

"Dave, don't tell me you _walked_ all the way here…" The taller boy nodded slowly.

"I know, it's pathetic… this is… I really shouldn't have done this, you… this was supposed to be a special evening for you, and I'm just…"

"Dave, no. Don't even think… you are not a burden. You're my _friend_… I… I wasn't there for you last time. You reached out to me, and I… I just ignored you. _Right_ after I told you I wanted to be friends. Honestly, despite everything, we got lucky last time. We got a second chance… you're still alive… if you needed me now and I turned my back on you _again_… I would _never_ forgive myself. You… matter to me, David… and I'm not going to let history repeat itself all over again… I told you that I'd be by your side all the way… and I meant it."

Kurt placed a gentle hand on Dave's knee. Their eyes locked when the boy turned to face him, tears still streaming down his face. In that instant, Kurt felt something that he hadn't ever really felt with David before. He had confirmed with himself that he and David were definitely friends now, but this connection… this feeling in this moment in time… it was indescribable. Kurt had no clue what this feeling was, but it felt… good, to say the least.

"I believe you," David whispered with a weak smile. The true vulnerability in David's voice just now… the honesty… it was just too much for Kurt to bear. For some strange reason, he did not find it uncomfortable when he saw Dave's face leaning in closer to his. And even stranger… he didn't find it odd that he was leaning in also.

Without even thinking about it, he closed his eyes and the next thing he knew, he felt David's lips brush against his in a soft kiss. Kurt actually relished in the feeling of Dave's mouth against his own. This kiss was nothing like their first. Their first kiss was forceful, powerful, _desperate_… but this one was the exact opposite. This was soft and gentle and… it just felt natural.

Their lips were pressed together for a good four seconds before Kurt felt Dave's mouth crack open slightly against his. Kurt found himself doing the same, chills shivering down his spine as their tongues grazed one another for a split second. Dave moaned quietly as Kurt kissed him back with the same longing gentleness that the former jock had demonstrated. He didn't expect it to happen. He didn't even expect to like it if it did. But as soon as he realized what he was doing, Kurt pulled away and turned his face to the floor. Out of his peripheral, he could see that Dave was also trying to look anywhere but at Kurt.

"I… am _so_ sorry… I-I shouldn't have… that was completely inappropriate; I should go."

"No, David, you… you don't have to go. I'm… I'm not going to let you wander the streets at night alone with no place to sleep… you can stay here tonight…"

"Kurt…"

"Dave, you're staying, alright? We'll just… act like it didn't happen."

Silence.

"Okay… fine, I'll just… I'll take Finn's bed, I guess."

"Alright… well, now that that's settled, do you want to... watch a movie or something? Take our minds off of this entire evening…" Kurt could feel David gazing at him, though he attempted to avoid eye contact.

"Sure, that, uh… that'd be nice, I guess…"

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><p>Later that night was strange for Kurt. He lay in his bed wide awake and as hard as he tried, he just couldn't fall asleep. He glanced over at the sleeping boy (or at least he assumed that David was sleeping) in Finn's bed next to him. Dave had his back to Kurt and Kurt decided to face the other way.<p>

What happened tonight? Where in the world did that come from? That was probably the most inappropriate thing that Kurt had done in a while. All the events that occurred tonight played back in Kurt's head and prevented him from getting any rest, but the thing that screamed the loudest in his head was Blaine. _Blaine_. Kurt knew that he was with Blaine and this little incident with his parents tonight wasn't the end of their relationship. But god, how Blaine would feel if he found out…

There was no need for him to know anything. After all, it was no big deal. They were both sad, they both had a stressful evening… and they both were… there. That's all. It was just a little kiss and it was never going to happen again. But as much as Kurt tried to tell himself this, he couldn't help but still feel David tingling on his lips…

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><p><strong>Wooo… I actually got emotional while I was writing this. Geez! Anyway I hope you like it and it made up for the last chapter!<strong>

**I hate to say this because I don't know if I'll have to stick with it or not, but I think this will be my last update FOR THIS STORY for a little bit. Not too long, I swear! Not like the 7 week hiatus… I just don't think that a new chapter will be up for the next couple of weeks. I really hope that doesn't make you lose interest!**

**Speaking of which, who all saw "Big Brother?" The fact that they completely skipped over Quinn's stay at the hospital bother anyone else but me? Then again, I guess that's how you feel about David and his parents, huh… **

**Well, as for that, I plan on putting a little one-shot out some time soon on the actual scene with David's parents and the "doctor" just to give you guys a better glimpse of what happened, so stay tuned for that! Please leave reviews and hopefully I'll see you guys sooner than I think! Love y'all!**


	13. The Way I'm Feeling, I Just Can't Deny

**Hey you guys, I'm back! Sorry for the wait! I know a lot of you have been eager to see the aftermath of chapter 12, so I apologize for the delay! I absolutely just had to get myself back into writing. I've missed it and I've missed you guys! So here it is, enjoy!**

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><p>The following morning around eight o'clock, Kurt lied awake in his bed for about five minutes, still attempting to process what had just happened last night. Burt and Carole came home late last night, so Kurt had the time to find a hiding spot for David if his dad should have entered the room. Kurt hadn't heard Finn's voice, so he had to assume that his brother hadn't come home last night. Kurt was grateful for this because he really didn't feel like explaining to Finn, of all people, what David Karofsky was doing in his bed. Part of him wasn't sure if last night had really even happened. Maybe it was all just one big vivid… <em>incredibly<em> vivid dream. But of course when he finally built up the courage to turn around and see David in nothing but a black wife beater and boxers sprawled out on Finn's bed, his hairy left leg hanging off the side of it, Kurt's suspicion was confirmed that it had indeed not been a dream.

With a huff, Kurt slipped quietly out of his bed and walked past the sleeping boy over to the bathroom. He took one glance back and saw how peaceful and gentle David looked when he was sleeping, his chest rising and falling with each breath… and he despised himself for taking so long to look away.

Kurt showered and ran through his morning cleansing routine. When he had finished, he walked over to the door, slowly reached for the knob, and quietly pushed it open. It creaked, of course, and Kurt saw Dave's shut eyes flicker at the sound. The former jock cracked his eyes open and glanced over at him in the doorway with a small grin.

"Hey," he breathed, not shifting from that spot he maintained on Finn's bed.

"Hi," Kurt replied, not looking at David as he strolled over to the lamp and switched the light on, gaining a tired groan from the older boy.

"Who's the evil bastard who decided that morning had to be so goddamn bright?" he said through a yawn as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Apparently the same _evil bastard_ who thought that it would be cosmically appropriate for early morning family breakfasts to follow such… crazy Friday nights."

"_Crazy_… is that the adjective you're going to use to describe last night?" Dave said softly. Kurt turned around to see that David was sitting up on the bed now and looking at him with this deep, innocent look in his eyes and a tiny smile on his face.

"Well, considering the turn of events compared to yesterday afternoon, yes. That is the adjective I'm going to use," he replied simply. David shrugged slightly.

"I guess it wasn't… _all_ bad…" he said sheepishly as he glanced up at Kurt as if waiting for approval. The soprano was at a loss for words. He knew what Dave was playing at. Kurt would have been lying if he said that kissing David felt wrong… but that was the thing. It _was_ wrong. It was the furthest thing from appropriate and it shouldn't have happened. They were both in a bad place that evening for very different reasons and it just… happened. That didn't make it right and that definitely didn't make it okay. Kurt needed to let Dave know that.

"It… David, look, I…"

"Kurt… it's okay. I know last night was really intense for a lot of reasons, but…"

"David…"

"It's going to be alright… and it made me realize something. Kurt, I need to tell you that…"

"David, it shouldn't have happened…" Kurt was no longer facing Dave and the silence in the room after he made his statement was so thick that you could have heard a pin drop three rooms over.

"Last night… it was a mistake. It doesn't matter what kind of connection we had or what we felt then; it wasn't right. And it can't happen again…" There was a sustained silence in which Kurt eagerly awaited David's response. He turned to face the boy and found that the smile and playfulness had left his features.

"You just implied that you felt something…"

_Crap_. Kurt was just digging himself a deeper hole now. He really needed to phrase his words better. In truth, he really _did_ feel something in that moment; a spark that he hadn't felt in a long time. But still, that didn't make it any more right. This wasn't worth losing his relationship with Blaine over… but it also wasn't worth losing David over either.

"I just think that… this doesn't have to change anything. We can go on and… continue our relationship as friends. We can act like none of this even happened and move on with our lives."

David simply stared back up at him with that blank, impossible to read expression on his face. When Dave didn't respond, Kurt cleared his throat and continued.

"So, um… what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

That uncomfortable stare still haunted Kurt for the next couple of seconds before David finally spoke up.

"Uh… same thing… I agree. I'm sorry, we should just… forget about it." Though his voice was naturally firm, Kurt could sense a little uneasiness behind the statement that just came out of the David's mouth.

"Kurt, who are you talking to down…" said a third voice that hadn't entered the room until just now. Anxiety in his every motion, Kurt instantly turned to see his father standing in the doorway, eyes fixed on David.

"Here…"

"Dad…" Kurt barely whispered.

"Hi… Mr. Hummel," David added softly.

In all honesty, the thought of this happening had crossed Kurt's mind, but he had prayed it wouldn't. Not only was David Karofsky half-naked in his room, he was also in Finn's bed. The level of embarrassment that Kurt was feeling right now was right in between the time that Burt caught him, Brittany, and Tina doing the _Single Ladies_ dance and the time that he gave him the talk after catching Blaine in his bed last year after Rachel's party. This was just another one to add to the list. The three of them remained silent for the next few seconds and exchanged awkward looks all around.

"Hello, Dave. I wasn't aware that you were here," Burt said deadpan. Of course his tone probably sounded innocent to David, but Kurt had lived with the man long enough to know that whatever this sound was in his voice meant that the soprano was probably going to be in deep trouble later. Though given his past encounters with Burt, Dave was probably just as terrified, if not more.

"I… let David crash here last night. He, um…" Kurt looked over at David uncomfortably, not entirely sure if the latter would be okay with him telling Burt his entire story. Dave quickly stood from up from the bed.

"I was having a bad day at home… I didn't really have anywhere else to go. Kurt was kind enough to let me stay here for the night. Please, don't be mad at him, sir."

Burt took his gaze off of Dave and focused back on Kurt, his eyebrows raised.

"Kurt, could I talk to you for a second?" he asked. Kurt nodded, muttered an "excuse us, Dave," and followed his dad up the stairs. Once out of earshot to Dave, Burt immediately turned towards Kurt, this look in his eyes that demanded Kurt to speak first.

"Okay, dad, I know what you're thinking…"

"Kurt, what did we talk about last year? Do you remember? Tell me what I told you."

"I told you that I wouldn't have sleepovers with anyone who might be gay without consulting you first," Kurt sighed. Burt nodded in approval.

"And… what is this?" he gestured to the basement.

"It isn't what you think it is."

"Kurt, don't play me for dumb. I'm not trying to insinuate anything, but you gotta know what it looks like from my end. And what the hell happened with Blaine? Does he know that David…"

"Oh, god, dad, _nothing_ happened with Blaine! And he wasn't even in my bed; he was in _Finn's_! David and I… we didn't… do anything." Great, now Kurt had to ignore the image in his head of him and Dave actually… god, now was _not_ the right time to be thinking about that.

"It doesn't matter, Kurt! You still didn't tell me. I thought we went through this already after that thing with Blaine."

"We did. I'm sorry, okay? What else do you want me to say?"

"And I get it, you know. You two are friends now; that's great. But that doesn't give you the right to harbor him just because he ran away from…"

"He didn't run away, dad, he was kicked out!" Kurt really hadn't meant to yell, but it just came out. The tension in the room was gone and had instantly been replaced with an aura of awkwardness. Both men stood there, unsure of what to say next. Burt's face had cracked and Kurt felt shame building up in his stomach for blurting out Dave's personal information.

"What… after everything that just… Why? What happened?"

"I'm pretty sure you can guess what happened, dad," Kurt said softly. Burt shook his head.

"No, but… Paul… when we talked with him last year, he didn't seem like the kind of guy to…"

"It wasn't his dad…"

"So… it was his _mom_ who kicked him out? And Paul just let it happen? What kind of father…"

"Dad, it's not fair for us to assume things about that situation. David said that… he tried. We have no clue what he could have been up against."

Almost instantly after Kurt finished the sentence, footsteps could be heard coming up from the basement. In mere seconds, David had joined in Kurt and Burt's little circle at the foot of the stairs, fully clothed.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hummel. This really wasn't Kurt's fault. It won't happen again; I'm… leaving right now."

"Whoa, wait a minute. Hold on, son… where are you going?" Burt said as he placed an arm out in front of Dave's chest to halt the boy as he began to walk.

"David…"

"It'll be alright, I… I just called Santana; she's on her way. I told her what happened and she said that I could stay with her for a while. I'm not sure how long, but… since graduation is just around the corner…"

"Look, Dave, I know that the past hasn't exactly been pleasant. And though I will not excuse the way you treated my son in the past, I have a better understanding of why you did it. And if you ever need a place to stay… don't hesitate to come to us," Burt placed a firm hand on Dave's shoulder, a gesture which Dave winced at to begin with.

"I will never believe that what I did to Kurt was fair to him, no matter how I was feeling at the time. My feelings drove me crazy and I had to get them out somehow. We've made the decision to be friends and… that's what we are. I'm not going to try to rationalize my actions because, really, there are none. But I just want Kurt to know that…" David turned his gaze towards Kurt and their eyes locked, "I will do _everything_ that I can to make this right between us."

The way that Dave had said it… his entire speech was totally relevant to the topic at hand, but after reflecting on last night for a second, Kurt knew that there was a double meaning in every sentence that Dave just said…

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><p><strong>And the adventure begins! Hope you guys enjoyed this and I really hope it was worth the wait! More to come soon, so look out for that! See you all next time! Thanks for reading and please leave reviews! Love y'all! xD<strong>

**And also, that one-shot that I mentioned last chapter about Dave and the situation with his parents has been up for a while, so if you want, feel free to check that out!**


	14. Stop Thinking Of Him! I Should Be Happy

**I'm back! I've been engulfing and embellishing myself in Kurtofsky in hopes of finally mustering up the will to write and I must say that I've finally got it back after the stress of real life. Finals are over and I hope this means regular updates within a span of about 4, 5 days to a week. Hopefully. Thank you guys so much for staying tuned and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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><p>The following Monday, for the most part, was just as ordinary as any other. It went by rather fast considering Kurt spent most of the day thinking about every other possible thing except his actual schoolwork.<p>

Many factors played into Kurt's distractions today. For one, after next week, prom would be just around the corner; no one could get down on him for thinking about that. Then there was graduation to worry about shortly after. But before any of that, there was he and Rachel's NYADA audition. The good news was there was a scout coming to check them out on their own turf at McKinley so they would have a home field advantage. But then the not-so-good news was that… well, a scout was coming to see _them_. That meant that it would probably be all the more nerve-racking in their attempt to impress. Plus the fact that the audition was in about two weeks and Kurt had still failed to pick out a song didn't really help the situation.

But of course when Kurt made his way into Glee rehearsal that afternoon, he was struck with yet another distraction. Dave had managed to actually show up in the choir room before he did. This took Kurt by surprise because he usually beat David there by a good five or ten minutes. To be honest, Kurt wasn't sure why he considered David such a distraction, but the fact that Blaine hadn't arrived yet made Kurt feel that much more awkward. The only other people in the room were Sugar, Tina, and Mercedes.

_Oh, thank goodness_; _Mercedes_! At least there was someone there that he could count on to ease the tension he felt inside. Kurt slowly walked through the door and was met almost immediately by a look from David. Kurt sent a weak, formal smile his way and Dave modestly returned it before going back to twiddling his fingers in his lap. Kurt strolled over to Mercedes who greeted him with a warm grin.

"Hey, Mercedes," he exhaled.

"Hey, Kurt… uh… are you okay?" she asked.

"What? Yeah, of course; I'm fine… why?"

"I dunno, you look a little… uncomfortable… like you've got something on your mind." Kurt chuckled forcibly.

"I'm fine. I mean, there's… graduation, NYADA… prom coming up," _certain people I shouldn't be thinking about_, "there's a lot to have on one's mind." Mercedes nodded.

"You're right. I mean… this year is going by really fast, come to think of it."

"_Really_ fast," Kurt added, feeling that the material for small talk was already starting to run out.

The soprano took a quick glance back up at David and saw that for a split second, the former jock was taking peeks at him out of his peripherals.

"Hey, so Kurt I'm thinking we should get together this Friday night and actually start working on this duet assignment."

"Huh? Wha… oh, yeah. That. Yeah, I agree… hey, could, uh, you excuse me for a second?"

Mercedes nodded slowly, eyeing Kurt like he had just grown another head. Okay. So he was a little off today. And maybe he wasn't doing such a great job of keeping his poker face unreadable. But something had to be done before more people starting to walk in.

Kurt strode over towards David who looked up as soon as the singer was a foot away. Kurt simply hovered over Dave for a good four seconds while they just stared at each other uncomfortably.

"Yes?" Dave drawled out. Kurt shook his head and got his focus together. _Okay. Just talk to him. You've had no problem with it before. Just… talk to him like a friend_.

"Hey." _Wow, really? That was intelligent_.

"Um… hey? What is it, Kurt?"

God, why was this all of a sudden so difficult? All Kurt had to do was have one chat with the boy. They'd had many of them before and were always able to keep up a good conversation. Why couldn't Kurt find the words to do that now?

"Dave, uh… I just came over here to… well, you know… before everyone gets here, I just wanted to…I was hoping that we could, you know… ignore the elephant in the room?" Apparently Kurt could have phrased that better because now it was Dave's turn to look at him like he had three heads. The athlete let out an insulted scoff.

"Um, yeah, Kurt, I… thought that's what we were doing?"

_Oh, god. Foot, meet mouth_. _Seriously_? Of all the things that Kurt could have said…

"Right… right."

"Kurt… what exactly did you think I was gonna do?"

"What do you mean? Nothing!"

"Did you… did you seriously think that I'd try and pull something today? Like make a scene or tell _Blaine_ or something?" Caught up in the unexpected accusation, Kurt completely ignored the sour emphasis Dave placed on Blaine's name. Then again, it wasn't _totally_ unexpected. Dave was kind of right; Kurt did sort of expect him to tell someone about what happened. And rumors fly fast in this school; even faster in this club. And if people were to find out that Kurt and David actually... well, the consequences wouldn't be pretty for either of them.

"David, no, that's not it. It's just that… "

"You know I care about you too much to do that, Kurt… I'm glad to know that you think so highly of me. You know, I'm actually kind of offended. I wouldn't do that to you… I'm not that vindictive."

"Dave, I know you aren't. It's just that after what happened this weekend…"

"Kurt, you know what… _you're_ the one that wanted to forget about it. So… maybe you should just do that and quit talking about it, okay?" David cut him off. They locked eyes for a short moment before Dave scoffed, shook his head, and got up to move to a seat further away on the other side of the room.

Before Kurt could even get out another word, he heard the sound of entering feet behind him. With a sigh, he returned to his seat next to Mercedes. Rachel, Finn, Rory, Mike, and Tina strolled in shortly followed by Mr. Schue and they all took their usual places in the classroom.

"Hey," Mercedes whispered into Kurt's ear, "what's going on with you two?"

"Huh?" Kurt whispered back. Mercedes gestured over at the other side of the room with her head and Kurt turned to see David leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, head tilted back, and eyes closed.

"What? Nothing! Why would you think that?" Kurt said in a hushed tone.

"Kurt, is he… are you…?"

"What? No! No. Of course not; David and I… we're… we're friends…"

Mercedes glared at him blankly as if trying to get him to admit that he was hiding something. But when Kurt said nothing, Mercedes let out a small, "Mm-hmm."

"Really, Cedes."

"Okay, Kurt. You _are_ gonna tell me, though," she stated as she turned her attention towards the piano at which Mr. Schue stood.

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><p>The announcement that the New Directions would be performing at prom <em>again<em> this year got an array of mixed reactions. But of course those in favor outweighed those opposed because of eager newcomers such as Rory, Sugar, and Joe.

After what seemed to be an endless, agonizing rehearsal with Mr. Schue and coach Sylvester, Kurt intended on going straight home to lie down and rest. Also, he could avoid talking to anyone about anything for the rest of the day. But naturally, fate had other plans.

"Kurt!" an all too familiar voice called out behind him as he made his way to leave. Kurt turned around slowly to see a sweaty, exhausted Blaine running towards him.

"Kurt, can we talk?" Blaine stared up at him, panting for breath. Kurt sighed.

"Of course."

"I am so… sorry for Friday night. I should have stood up to my dad for you. But…"

"Yeah, Blaine… you should have. You let your dad call me a _freak_, Blaine. And you let him spit in the face of our relationship."

"Kurt, while I admit that it was out of line for him, you've been called much worse… and each time, you've always held your ground and had some kind of quick rebuttal. You've been so bold."

"This was your father, Blaine! The whole point of Friday night was to get to meet your family because I wanted them to love me as much as I love you."

"Kurt…" Blaine whispered as he took Kurt's hand in his and caressed it gently. He looked the senior straight in the eye and said, "I told him off."

"You what?"

"After you left… I told him off. I defended you; I defended _us_. I told him that you are the love of my life and there was nothing that he could say or do to change that. You are _everything_ to me, Kurt; you don't even know. You've always been so great. I was scared to do that before, but… you mean _so_ much to me… and I just hope I haven't lost you because of this."

Kurt looked down at the smaller hand still clenching his. He looked back up into the puppy dog expression that his boyfriend wore on his face, eyes pleading for forgiveness. Kurt bit his lip, pulled his hand out of Blaine's and proceeded to wrap his arms around the younger boy in a soft embrace. Blaine slowly hugged him back.

"You haven't…" Kurt whispered halfheartedly. Blaine let out a relieved sigh and gripped the boy's shirt tightly as the embrace tensed. This was supposed to be a good thing. Kurt and Blaine were back where they were always meant to be and he should be happy. He should feel the joy of having his perfect boyfriend in his arms and should be relishing the fact that the water was now under the bridge. But whether it was because of guilt or something else… Kurt just felt dirty.

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><p><strong>Okay, I know… Blaine. Klaine. Don't throw rocks at me, please! I'm sorry to throw us back onto the ship, but I promise, there will be a time and place for everything and it's just… not quite there yet. But if you would be so kind as to leave a review, I will try and make chapter 15 much more… acceptable.<strong>

**Oh, and I named the chapter after a lyric from "One Less Bell to Answer/A House Is Not a Home". It was supposed to be the line where April Rhodes sings "I don't know how in the world to stop thinking of him" and then Will echoes "I should be happy". I thought it fit, but the chapter naming space wasn't long enough.**


	15. How'd You Get To Be So Wise?

**DISCLAIMER: Before I start this chapter, I just want to disclose the fact that I thought up Chandler Hall SEVERAL weeks before "Dance With Somebody" even aired. So though the Chandler in this fic was initially INSPIRED by the mere IDEA of Chandler Kiehl, Hall's appearance, personality, and interests are mine and will remain as I first depicted in chapter 9. I just wanted to get that bit out there to avoid OOC complaints.**

**Secondly, I am ASTONISHED at the reviews and followers for this story! I was just hoping to get 75 reviews by chapter 15 and here it is at almost 100! You guys are great and have made me so happy. I won't let you down so keep them coming! Now, on with the show!**

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><p>"Come on, man, just a few more! You've got this!" Chandler exclaimed, hovering over Dave as he attempted to pull through his hundredth sit up.<p>

"Yeah… that's the… twentieth time… you've said that!" Dave responded in between breaths as he pulled himself up to meet the boy's eyes with each phrase, his face growing redder and redder with each rise. His body aching from exhaustion, David began to wonder why he had ever thought that it would be a good idea to start meeting at Chandler's house for daily workouts. It was only Wednesday, but he and Chandler had been going at this every afternoon for hours since the week began. The young football player rolled his eyes at David with an amused grin.

"Alright, Dave…fine. One more; just give me one more. Then we'll take a break."

David did as he was told, but immediately plopped down on his back to the mat afterwards.

"You know you're crazy, right?" Dave panted. The boy shrugged.

"Eh. I can live with that," he snickered. "You want something to drink?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, dude."

Chandler rose to his feet, strode over to the kitchen, and pulled two bottles of water out of the refrigerator.

"God, man. You're a regular slave driver, you know that?" Dave called out to him from the living room floor. Chandler smirked.

"Come on, Dave; you were in football! You should be used to this!" he said as he tossed a bottle of water Dave's way.

"Yeah, well Tanaka, Beiste, and the coach at Thurston have got nothing on you. Plus, most of the time, they weren't watching me so I could slack off as much as I wanted to."

"Well, you aren't gonna be able to get away with that with me. I've _always_ got my eyes on you. Always," Chandler winked at the older boy. David chuckled.

"Is that so? How flattering. I had a feeling you thought I was hot."

"Damn straight, tiger," Chandler said playfully, causing David to laugh out loud.

Almost instantly, Dave's phone buzzed next to him. He picked it up, opened the text, and saw that it was a reply from Kurt. They had been talking somewhat regularly again, so that was good. This particular conversation happened to be about plans for Spring Break. While Dave stayed with the Lopez's for the entire week, the Hudson-Hummel's would be off enjoying a nice vacation in Fort Lauderdale. They were slowly but surely becoming friends again. Or had they even stopped being friends? Dave didn't know. All he knew was that they were becoming _friendly_ again. Yep. That sounded about right. He'd just leave it at that. And Kurt had actually texted him first, so that was a good sign. Just as long as Blaine or the kiss didn't come up, everything would be alright. But David would be lying is he said that he didn't want to talk about either of those things.

"So…" Chandler said slowly. Dave looked up and saw that the boy was grinning slyly at him.

"So… what?"

"Oh, come on, don't play dumb. I know you're texting him!"

"It's nothing, man, don't worry about it. It's just… small talk. Nothing fancy."

Dave looked back down at his phone and continued typing his reply. By the time he hit "Send", Chandler was kneeling down in front of him to meet him at eye level.

"David…"

"…Chandler," Dave replied, the same inquiring inflection in his voice.

"We're friends, right?"

"Uh… barely," David chuckled.

"Close enough," the younger boy shrugged, "anyway… tell me."

"There's nothing to tell, dude."

"There's _always_ something to tell, even if we don't realize it. You've been texting him ever since you got here; probably before. You're telling me that this whole time you've just been talking about the weather?"

"Look, I can't talk to him about anything… of that nature, okay?" Dave blurted out. Chandler gave him a confused look.

"And why's that?"

"Well, aside from the fact that he has a boyfriend…"

Chandler wore an expectant expression, waiting for him to finish his sentence. There was a short silence, Dave sighed and mumbled "I kissed him." The football player flashed an admiring smirk his way.

"David, you dog!"

"Don't get too excited; nothing is gonna happen."

"Well… did he kiss you back?"

"…Yes," Dave sighed.

"Then what's the problem!"

"I already told you, Chandler. Kurt has a boyfriend. And he's not gonna break up with his perfect knight in shining armor to… never mind."

"Well, I beg to differ. If he kissed you back, it obviously means that there was something there. You can say that there wasn't and you can deny it all you want. But there is no escaping the fact that you two shared something. _He kissed you back_, Dave. That means that there is a part of him, no matter how minute, that wants you too. And if you really like this guy, you have got to go for it!"

"Dude, you don't understand. Even if what you're saying is true, there's still the issue that he has a boyfriend. Not just any boyfriend; he's got a boyfriend that he's totally in love with and one who loves him back. Last year, this guy was there for him in ways that… let's just say he was exactly what Kurt needed."

"That was last year! And you and Kurt seem like you have a really good thing going. You could be exactly what he needs. You could be his knight in shining armor. David… you could be his perfect guy now." Dave laughed quietly.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. Me and Kurt, we… we weren't always exactly best friends. I… did some things. I'm not going to go into detail with you, but… we have a complicated history."

"Okay. So you have a bad past. As far as I can see, you've redeemed yourself. Either that or you're both even. There is nothing that you can do that you can't be forgiven for, Dave. What's this life worth if people don't get second chances?"

David snickered softly. Sure, Chandler didn't know the mechanics of their relationship, but his advice wasn't _totally_ wrong. Either way, it didn't really matter though. David looked the boy in the eye and was met with a sympathetic gaze. He exhaled.

"I'm done with my break… let's get back to work."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer remains as it is said above. Sorry it's shorter than the others. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I meant to have it up yesterday, but… the finale killed me :'( I didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Gotta love those bittersweet episodes, right? Don't be surprised if I don't update for a month… Just kidding! But still, I loved the finale, but as you can imagine, it was very emotional and demotivated me a little bit.<strong>

**Anyway, please leave a review and I'll update soon.**


	16. What's Done In The Dark

**I'm glad you guys seemed to enjoy last chapter and thank you so much for your reviews! They really do mean a lot. Once again, I apologize for the shortness of the last chapter, but hopefully this makes up for it! Please leave reviews, as they are greatly appreciated.**

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><p>Kurt was an idiot. Normally, one would try to steer clear of something that would hurt them or cause them discomfort. In ordinary circumstances, one wouldn't do this kind of thing to themselves. But, since he wasn't exactly what would be referred to as a "normal" person, here Kurt was, rummaging through the very thing that tore him apart and caused him internal turmoil; the Valentine's Day cards that he had received from Dave a few weeks ago. The thing about the situation was that the reason he was uncomfortable was not because he didn't like it, but because he actually didn't want to let it go. He knew he should have disposed of those letters the moment he found out that Dave was his secret admirer instead of Blaine. That's what a good boyfriend would have done… that's what a <em>faithful<em> boyfriend would have done.

He didn't even know why he had kept them all this time anyway. After all, like he explained to David on Valentine's Day; he only _thought_ that he was in love with Kurt. He wasn't _really_ in love. He'd even meant to throw them away that very evening after the big revelation, but… that was the first time he had ever actually received anything for Valentine's Day considering that he and Blaine weren't together around that time last year and Blaine neglected to send him anything this year. A couple of cheesy cards were definitely not an excuse for Kurt to go off and leave his boyfriend of about half a year to be with someone else, but they were a nice gesture. The heartfelt letter at the end of the final card received with the revealing of the man behind the suit didn't help either. And even if they weren't from Blaine, if they made him feel good, even for a minute, then they had to have some kind of sentimental value. And then in the aftermath of the whole debacle that preceded Regionals, Kurt was more focused on being Dave's friend than anything because that was what he truly needed. Kurt was so focused in fact that in his own way, he pretended that the whole Valentine's Day fiasco didn't happen so they could actually start fresh, if possible. But with the slate having been wiped clean from that point on, Kurt completely neglected the idea that Dave might have actually believed his allegations wholeheartedly.

It could have been just a crush or David could have actually believed that he was in love with Kurt, even if he really wasn't. Given their past relationship, Kurt really did have a huge role in changing him for the better. He helped Dave in ways that no one else could. It was likely that Dave took those feelings of admiration and interpreted them as love. But after everything that had happened since then… after Friday night… Kurt saw things in a whole new light. And if he was being totally honest, that scared the crap out of him.

Kurt just had to accept the fact that he was never going to be satisfied no matter what was thrown his way. When he was with David (well… he was never really _with_ David, but still), he felt dirty. Even though the boundaries of their relationship never stretched to anything incredibly major, it ate away at Kurt as if he had actually slept with the man. A few cards and a meeting at the Sugar Shack, Kurt could have gotten away with. But the truth was whether the kiss was just a one-time thing between them or not, it was still cheating.

And now that things were good between him and Blaine again, Kurt still felt uncomfortable because things may have seemed all good and peachy on the surface, but Kurt had to deal with the burden of actually knowing what was going on underneath. When Blaine supposedly stood up to his father, it should have eliminated all their current issues. But no, Kurt had to go and cause another one in the exact same night. And now here he was, torturing himself with this constant reminder and threat to his relationship.

The logical thing would have been to just let these go and that was exactly what Kurt's mind was telling him to do. But that's the thing about logic; it's all about thinking and what goes on in the head. And unfortunately, the head and the heart are almost always in conflict. Kurt knew that he should just throw the cards away, burn them, anything just to get them out of his possession. But he'd have been lying if he said that he really wanted to.

His thoughts were interrupted with a knock at the front door upstairs. Quickly, Kurt stacked the cards, hid them in his bedside drawer, and forcibly pushed it shut. He hurried up the stairs and opened the door to see none other than his boyfriend Blaine Anderson standing on the other side, a tiny grin on his face.

"Hey, Kurt," he breathed. Kurt's heart was beating fast, but he greeted the boy with the same loving smile.

"Hey, you."

"Are you busy? Could I come in?"

"Oh, sure, come on in," he beckoned the shorter boy into the house and Blaine stepped inside, hands in pockets.

* * *

><p>Honestly, Blaine couldn't see what the big deal was about today. He had visited the Hudson-Hummel house several times, but as he stood in front of their front door this Friday evening, something felt different.<p>

Sure, the whole situation with Blaine's father was resolved (as far as Kurt knew), but he still had this feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't shake out.

Okay, so the whole problem with what happened Friday night may not have been as resolved as Blaine led Kurt on to believe. But he _did_ stand up to his father; he didn't lie about that. That counts for something, right? Even if his dad won that argument… at least he tried. But still a lie was a lie. And then that brought more thoughts into his mind that could not have come at a more inconvenient time.

"Blaine, chill… Kurt's forgiven you. You haven't lost him. This is just a… normal visit to hang out with your boyfriend like you've done _countless_ times before," he told himself out loud. Now if only he could believe that. Kurt was right to walk away that night and leave. Blaine had Kurt believing the entire time that he was some kind of hero. He knew that he was being looked up to and idolized. And sure, Kurt knew about the fact that his dad wasn't exactly the most supportive man in the world early on, but he had no way of knowing how serious it was.

Blaine would have thought that it would have gotten easier after Cooper left. That way, there wouldn't be anyone present for his father to compare him to. Of course, he was wrong. With Cooper gone and Friday evening still fresh on his dad's mind, there was more pressure on Blaine now at home than a few weeks ago.

But it wouldn't be right to blame that on _Kurt_; it wasn't his fault after all. Blaine was the one that agreed to let him come over and he was aware of the possible consequences of doing so. He knew that everything that happened that night was his fault. And he knew that he would have to add that to the number of mistakes and wrongs towards his boyfriend. But the important thing was… Kurt took him back. Things were back to normal. They could go back to the way they were before… well… everything that had the potential to screw up their relationship. For now… they were good. As far as Kurt knew, they were perfect again. And no matter what, it was going to stay that way.

When he had the courage, Blaine knocked at the door before he could chicken out and turn home. He stood waiting for no longer than a minute before he was greeted by Kurt. Blaine couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.

"Hey, Kurt," he said softly. He meant for it to sound firmer, but he was overtaken by something that made him temporarily lose control of his voice. Thankfully, Kurt didn't seem to notice and smiled back at him.

"Hey, you."

"Are you busy? Could I come in?" Blaine gestured inside.

"Oh, sure, come on in."

Blaine entered the house, hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Mercedes will be by in a little bit to work on our duet assignment. You're more than free to stay, though, if you want," Kurt said as he shut the door behind his boyfriend.

"That's cool. Rachel and I still have yet to actually work on ours," the junior chuckled as he placed a peck on his boyfriends' lips.

The two of them headed down the stairs to Finn and Kurt's room and Blaine sat down on Kurt's bed.

"Could I get your opinion on something, Blaine?" Kurt asked. Blaine looked up at him blankly.

"Uh, of course Kurt. What's up?"

Kurt shifted from side to side, biting his lower lip.

"It's about my NYADA audition."

Of course it is. And now, they were back to this. Ever since Blaine had recovered from his eye surgery and Kurt got that letter, NYADA was all they ever talked about. Even more so than they had before; if that was even possible. Actually, it was more like Kurt talking and Blaine listening. Sometimes, Blaine would accidently tune out and that would result in the whole "are-you-even-listening-to-me?" spiel on Kurt's end. Blaine wanted to support Kurt and his dreams, but… couldn't they let a day or two go by without inevitably talking about it?

"Sure, babe. What's on your mind?"

"Okay, well, I was thinking about the song I could sing and then it hit me; I could do _So Emotional_, which was obviously written for me. But then again, I could also do _One Moment in Time_, which was also obviously written for me. What do you think?"

"Well, it's Whitney, so… you really can't go wrong either way. Just… go with whatever you want." Kurt sighed and sat down on the bed.

"I know, it's just… this is my shot, you know? I don't wanna screw it up. This is the audition I've been waiting my entire life for."

"I know, Kurt. Trust me, you aren't gonna screw it up. Just go with your gut and sing your heart out. If anyone can do this, it's you… I know it," Blaine said as he locked eyes with Kurt. The older boy smiled weakly at him.

"You're really great, Blaine… You're a good boyfriend. I'm lucky to have you…"

"Not as lucky as I am to have you," Blaine whispered, scooting in closer to his boyfriend as he took his hand.

"So… Finn's not here?" he asked. Kurt rolled his eyes as he gripped Blaine's smaller hand tightly.

"Finn spends a lot of his time… elsewhere these days. He'll be home later on, but for now, I imagine he's at Puck's or Rachel's," Kurt said, nuzzling his head against Blaine's.

"So that means that… you and I currently have this place to ourselves for the time being," Blaine smirked, rubbing his free hand across Kurt's thigh.

"I guess that is what it means," the senior chuckled self-consciously. Blaine closed his eyes and tilted his head to kiss Kurt. The older boy's lips met his for a moment. Blaine reached for Kurt's hand and gripped it, cracking his mouth open to kiss him.

Before they could go any further, there was a knock at the door upstairs and Kurt pulled away. Blaine slowly did the same, discouraged that the knock had occurred at a very inopportune time.

"I'll uh… be right back," Kurt smiled. Blaine grinned weakly at him as he leapt from the bed and proceeded upstairs. Blaine sat there in the silence for a moment, his hands fiddling in his lap. Bored, he glanced around the room when something caught his eye. He saw that the top drawer of Kurt's night stand was cracked open with the tip of what seemed to be some kind of fancy card protruding from it. Curious, he peered over at it to get a closer look. It had to be a birthday card or something, but there were more just like it underneath. And another thing, these didn't really look like they were birthday material; they were more like… no…

Blaine looked around the room to make sure that the coast was clear and slowly pulled the drawer open. He pulled out the stack of cards and his worries were confirmed. These were Valentine's Day cards. The fact that Kurt had cards stashed away in his dresser drawer wouldn't have worried Blaine if he didn't know for a fact that he was not the one that sent them. There was absolutely no way these cards could be from him; he knew that he didn't send Kurt any cards from the hospital. But who else could they possibly be from?

He rummaged through the cards, his hands shaking harder with each reading.

_You make my heart sing_.

Blaine was going to be sick. He had no idea how to feel right now. Part of him just wanted to stop and pretend that he had never found these cards, but the other part just had to keep digging. And when he finally got to the bottom of the stack, his heart was beating uncontrollably. There was a letter placed purposely at the bottom, which meant that Kurt had actually taken the time to read these fully and put them in a specific order. Blaine had dug himself this deep; he couldn't stop now. He took deep breaths as he read the letter.

_Dear, Kurt  
>Hey. If you got this card, then you've undoubtedly discovered who I really am. I'm sure it would be an understatement to say that you were surprised, but I hope that you just let me down easy. I know that I should probably be the last person to ever try and pull something like this, considering our past history. But I would never forgive myself if I didn't put myself out there and try. I know we've never really been best friends or whatever, but you have probably been one of the best friends I've ever had, even if you didn't realize it. You helped me through one of the darkest journeys of my life and I will be forever grateful to you for that. And I didn't realize it until a few months ago when we finally reunited unexpectedly at Scandals that I actually missed you.<br>When I left McKinley, I thought I was leaving everything bad behind. But what I realized was that I was leaving the only good thing in my life behind also… you. I was a total jerk to you and you still showed me kindness. Kurt, you are everything I've ever wanted and you are everything I want to be. There's no way of possibly telling you how much you mean to me because it's too much for words. I love you, Kurt. In a way, I think I always have, but I've just been too afraid to admit it. Even if it wasn't really "love" before, I'm sure that it is now. The two of us meeting each other at Scandals wasn't a coincidence. That was fate or destiny or whatever you wanna call its way of leading me to you for a second chance. I never expected to see you again after I transferred and when I realized that, it hurt. But there you were… as beautiful as ever. And my prayers were answered simply because I got the chance to talk to you again. I'm glad that you could have seen me in a different light that night.  
>I don't know a whole lot about love, Kurt; I know I'm still getting used to the idea that it can happen for me. But you make me believe that it can.<br>I know you have Blaine. And I know that odds are this probably won't even work and you will turn me down. But to me, just being able to see you again is worth it. I am so thankful for having you in my life, Kurt, whether it's romantically or otherwise. I'm ending now, but before I do, I want you to know this; "because I knew you… I have been changed for good."  
>Love, David P. Karofsky<em>

_Karofsky_? Of all people, how could Kurt have possibly kept letters from _Karofsky_? It just didn't make sense. Blaine was surprised that he could still stand. It was a lot to take in and he felt like he had just been punched in the heart.

Blaine could hear the sound of Kurt and Mercedes' voices descending down the stairs. Hurriedly, he stuffed the cards back into the drawer the way he found them and closed it. Not a second later did Kurt and Mercedes walk through the door. The junior ran a hand through his hair and attempted to look casual, but did not succeed in avoiding a questioning look from Kurt.

"Blaine, are you… are you okay?"

"Yeah… yeah, Kurt, I'm great. Uh… I gotta go. Now." Blaine strode past the two Glee Clubbers and made his way up to the front door.

"Blaine, wait!" Kurt called out. The younger boy huffed and turned to face his boyfriend, trying to look as clueless as possible.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"You don't have to go, you know."

"Ah, see, I… I do, Kurt. My… dad wants me home. I'll see you guys later." Blaine watched as Kurt stared at him with worry in his eyes. He couldn't come clean… not about that. He gave Kurt a quick peck on the cheek and muttered a swift "I love you" before powerwalking out the door.

Once outside and in his car, Blaine had trouble getting ahold of his breathing. He sat there for a minute, his mind racing, before pulling out his phone and scrolling down the contact list.

He couldn't believe he was about to do this. After everything that had happened, he would have never thought that he resort to this. But desperate times really did call for desperate measures. He clicked on the number and held his phone up to his ear as it began to ring. It only rang twice before he was greeted with a familiar voice that he hadn't heard in weeks.

"Well, hey, stranger... it's been a bit. What's up?"

"Hey, Sebastian," Blaine sighed, "I'm coming over… I need to talk to you."


	17. Relatable

**Hey, you guys, I am not dead! I'm back and very much still alive! I'm really, really sorry to take such a long, unannounced hiatus, especially after the cliffhanger I left you guys on. I've just kind of been in a deep funk lately. It's been bad. Though, I suppose that now would be a safe time to say that I think this fic is around halfway complete, so I'm hoping to keep you all satisfied with the other half!**

**I feel like a horrible person and I hope I haven't lost all you readers and reviewers! Please still be here and let me know I haven't failed! Alright, anyway, you guys have been waiting and I hope to give you the comeback chapter that you so rightly deserve!**

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><p>Kurt strode up the stairs from the basement and made his way over to the front door. As he expected, Mercedes was waiting for him on the opposite side. He greeted her with a warm smile and she exchanged the gesture.<p>

"Hey, Kurt," she said.

"Hey, Cedes, come on in," he replied, stepping out of the entryway, allowing her to cross the threshold.

"So is it just us two tonight, or what?" Mercedes asked as the two of them headed back down to the basement.

"Well, not exactly. Finn and Rory are in the other room, _supposedly_, getting ready for their duet. But odds are they're just playing Skyrim for the rest of the night, so they won't bother us. And Blaine is actually down in the basement right now."

"Is he staying?"

"I'm not sure. He didn't really say."

The two of them stepped off of the staircase to see Blaine standing awkwardly over Kurt's bed, his fingers running through his hair. He looked up at the two of them and a tiny, nervous smile cracked on his lips. Kurt gazed at the boy inquisitively.

"Blaine, are you… are you okay?" Kurt asked. The junior scoffed.

"Yeah… yeah, Kurt, I'm great. Uh… I gotta go. Now."

Before he had even finished his statement, Blaine was already passing in between the two Glee Clubbers. There was definitely something off about him. Kurt had no idea what it could have been, but something had definitely spooked him in the short period of time.

"Blaine, wait!" Kurt called out. The younger boy stopped and turned to face his boyfriend, a blank look on his face.

"Yeah, what's up?"

Kurt paused and stared at him, his mouth slightly agape.

"You don't have to go, you know," he said. There was something bothering this boy and Kurt wouldn't have felt right if he had just let him leave. He wasn't really used to seeing Blaine behave this way and, to be honest, it worried him a bit.

"Ah, see, I… I do, Kurt. My dad wants me home. I'll see you guys later."

That made sense. Blaine must have gotten a call from his dad within the short time span that he was left alone. After the whole dinner fiasco, it was definitely a believable alibi. His excuse was very believable… or at least it would have been if Kurt didn't sense that there was something underneath. He could see it in Blaine's face that there was more; there was something he wasn't telling him. But he wasn't going to pry. The best thing for now would just be for him to let it be and let Blaine tell him in his own time.

He strode over and gave Kurt a quick kiss on the cheek and muttered a quick "I love you" before speeding up the stairs.

"What's up with him?" Mercedes asked. Kurt stared up at the entrance until Blaine turned the corner and was out of sight.

"I have no clue," he whispered.

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><p>The rest of that evening went on pretty uneventfully. Kurt and Mercedes, for some insane reason, ended up watching the second Twilight movie on Netflix while the loud booms and bangs of Finn and Rory annihilating Nazi's could be heard upstairs. Normally, Kurt would have gone up there and told them to keep it down, but in this case, it wasn't like they were disturbing much.<p>

Besides, Kurt wasn't really paying much attention to the movie anyway. He had other things on his mind. He never really took those words that Mercedes said a couple of months ago to really mean anything, but now they were all he could think about. His mind flashed back to a couple of weeks before Valentine's Day; the night that Rachel told the two of them of her engagement to Finn.

_How's a girl with no ass supposed to choose between the juiced up wolf and the depressed vampire? She loves them both_.

Mercedes had her own reasons for bringing that up that night; everyone knew that. She made it perfectly clear to the Glee Club that she was confused about her relationship with Shane because of her unresolved feelings for Sam. That was no secret to the New Directions. But if you had told Kurt that night that he would be feeling the exact same sentiments, there was no way on earth that he'd believe it.

Obviously, he wasn't _in love_ with David Karofsky. But the simple matter of it was he couldn't stop thinking about it. And the scary of the situation was part was that part of him didn't really _want_ to stop thinking about it. And until he could figure out what exactly these feelings stirring up inside him were, he'd never be able to put it out of his mind.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted. Apparently, Mercedes had said something that Kurt didn't quite catch and he let out a small "Hmm?"

"I said, 'this is nice'. It's been a while since we hung out together; just you and me," Mercedes stated. Kurt smiled and nodded.

"Yes, it… it most certainly has."

"In fact, I can't really remember the last time we did this."

In actuality, Kurt couldn't really remember either. It had to have been at least a year since the two of them just spent time together like this.

"I'm pretty sure it was the beginning of junior year, as far as I can recall. It's funny how it doesn't seem so long ago if you don't think about it."

"That is _so_ true. We're all so… different now. And think, you and I always figured we would be the ones that never changed… it's just kind of funny to me. How'd we even let ourselves drift apart like that?" she turned away from the television and lay down on her side as she faced him. Kurt did the same, resting his head on his palm.

"Well, it wasn't really anybody's fault, if you think about it. I mean, there were a whole lot of contributing factors that neither one of us could do anything about. We… matured, developed other interests, started focusing on other things… we both got boyfriends…"

"Right… boyfriends," Mercedes sighed as she turned to face the ceiling. Kurt had a feeling that he knew what her reaction would be when he brought that up.

"How is everything anyway? With that whole… situation?"

"Honestly? I'm still not that sure. Shane and I haven't really talked that much since Valentine's Day and things have just been awkward with Sam. I know how he still feels and he _knows_ that I know. And I feel the same way, but…"

"It's just confusing," Kurt muttered, more to himself than to Mercedes.

"Exactly. Shane was great; he was always so good. I never even expected to see Sam Evans again and Shane just happened to pop into my life at the right time. But then Sam came back and made my heart race again and… I just don't think it ever really ended with him. And he and Shane are so completely different…"

"You cared about them both for different reasons. You stayed with one because he was what you needed, but… you strayed because you wanted someone else." Mercedes looked over at him, a curious look on her face.

"Yeah… I guess you're right. So… are you gonna tell me or am I gonna have to drag it out of you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't play dumb," Mercedes scoffed, "we may not talk as much as we used to, but I still know you well enough to be able to tell when something's going on."

Kurt was one hundred percent certain that he knew what she was getting at, but he wasn't going to give her the benefit of the doubt until she confirmed it from her own mouth. She sighed.

"I'm talking about a certain ex-jock… who's had some anger issues in the past… and has also recently joined the New Directions, name rhymes with 'cave'…"

"Mercedes…"

"Come on, Kurt… I don't know what is going on between the two of you, but it's easy to tell that it's bothering you. It shows. And do _not_ say it's nothing." The two sat on the bed in silence for a good fifteen seconds before Kurt let out a reluctant sigh.

"Okay… I… David and I; wow, _David and I_," Kurt huffed incredulously, realizing how strange and unfamiliar those three words in that specific order felt on his tongue.

"We… we, um… we kissed."

Kurt glanced over to see Mercedes staring at him, her eyes wide and her mouth shut tight in a stern "what-the-actual-hell."

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><p><strong>I really hope this was enough to hold you guys for a little bit. I wanted to make this longer, but I felt that I needed to update ASAP. The next chapter will definitely be out in way less time than it took for this, and I'll just continue this scene on the next one. Please leave reviews and I promise that the next chapter of this story (and PRIDE!) will be out very soon!<strong>


	18. Continue?

**Author's Note**

**Hey, you guys… I feel completely awful for leaving you all for **_**months**_**. I really can't make any more promises that it won't happen again, because that wouldn't be fair to you. I just wanted to assure you all that I'm still here, that I'm still alive, and still well. **

**I like season 4 so far, but as far as it is headed, I highly doubt we'll end up getting any Kurtofsky in canon. And the final episodes of season 3 kind of obstructed the plot for this. I was actually wondering if anyone was even still interested in this story, to be quite honest. I'm not sure how many of you I've lost because of the long hiatuses, and with season 4 going on currently, I wasn't even sure if I would finish this fic. **

**But before I decide to completely shut it down, I wanted to ask those of you who are still following this story what you think. Even with the current season going on and with the long, unpredictable, unexplainable breaks going on in this fic, is there still an interest out there? Feel free to let me know if I should keep going or just stop completely.**

**No matter the outcome, I really want to thank every single one of you for your support of this story, criticisms, the follows, the favs, the reviews… you guys are so great and I love y'all. Thank you so much for everything.**


	19. COMEBACK!

**Hey, all. And here we are, several months later… I hope that at least a handful of you are still interested because I AM COMING BACK. **

**It's taken me a while (obviously) to take some time and think. I never forgot; this story and all of you guys are in the back of my mind on a semi-regular basis. I just seemed to have lost touch with this ship, but I've recently rekindled my Kurtofsky flame and am ready to return! If you guys will have me. I'll make no promises, I can't ensure weekly updates; if I'm lucky, maybe bi-weekly or monthly. But I've really missed you guys.**

**I hope that some of you have not lost hope or interest because if just a few of you are still committed, that's all the motivation I need. So leave me a review and let me know if you'll stand with me as I make my comeback and wrap this story up!**

**Love, **_**Stranger 1993**_


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